U.S. to Allow Sale of Missile Defense System to Saudis
The Trump administration has agreed to allow Saudi Arabia to acquire a sophisticated missile defense system despite a growing congressional outcry about President Donald Trump’s unwillingness to punish Saudi Arabia for the killing of columnist Jamal Khashoggi.
The completion of a deal to allow the kingdom to spend up to $15 billion for an anti-ballistic missile system made by Lockheed Martin Corp. was confirmed by a State Department official on Wednesday night, hours after a bipartisan group of senators demanded stronger action against the Saudis.
The final arms agreement -- which completed the sale of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or Thaad, launchers, missiles and other equipment -- was signed earlier this week, according to the State Department official, who was granted anonymity to discuss the matter. The official argued that deployment of the Thaad system in Saudi Arabia would bolster U.S. security against the threat of Iranian and extremist groups supported by the Tehran government.
Trump has repeatedly ruled out cutting off arms sales to Saudi Arabia as punishment for the Khashoggi killing, arguing that the kingdom would simply purchase weapons from other nations.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-11-29/u-s-is-said-to-allow-sale-of-missile-defense-system-to-saudis?srnd=politics-vp
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