Trump invokes emergency powers with $23 billion in Gulf arms sales

The Trump administration has pressed forward with roughly $23 billion in weapons sales to three Gulf nations, moving to bolster their defenses as the Middle East war continued to escalate with no sign of resolution.

The government has approved the arms sales to the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Jordan, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday, citing U.S. officials familiar with the decision.

That included more than $16 billion for air-defense systems, munitions and radar equipment for the three Mideast countries, announced on Thursday, plus an additional $7 billion in weapons to the UAE, according to the report. The latter was approved through channels that do not require public disclosure under U.S. arms export rules, according to the Journal.

The provisional arms sale, aimed at bolstering the Gulf nations’ military capabilities, came as Iran has broadened attacks to several energy infrastructure sites across the region in response to Israeli strikes on its gas facilities this week.

The proposed sale would improve the countries’ capability to “meet current and future threats” and further advance their interoperability with U.S. Joint Forces and other regional forces, the State Department said in the notices.

The administration also expanded certain previously agreed agreements to include the sale of Patriot PAC-3 missiles worth about $5.6 billion and CH-47 Chinook helicopters valued at roughly $1.32 billion, according to the Journal. The U.S. also approved $37 million in Predator XP drone sales and sustainment programs for light aircraft.

For some of the deals, the American government invoked the emergency clause of U.S. arms control law, a mechanism that allows the executive branch to proceed without the standard 30-day congressional review period, according to the report.