Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
US State Department approves $670m arms deal with Saudi Arabia

US State Department approves $670m arms deal with Saudi Arabia

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met US Defence Chief James MattisWashington : The US State Department has approved the sale of an estimated $670 million in anti-tank missiles to Saudi Arabia, just hours after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met US Defence Chief James Mattis.

A statement from the State Department on Thursday confirmed approval of “TOW 2B (BGM-71F-Series) missiles for an estimated cost of $670 million” to the Kingdom. Congress was notified of the proposed sale and lawmakers have 30 days to try to stop it, the New York Times said.

The proposed package included up to 6,700 missiles made by Raytheon Missile Systems as well as spare parts for American-made tanks and helicopters that Saudi Arabia already owns.

The statement said the sale “will support US foreign policy and national security objectives by improving the security of a friendly country which has been and continues to be an important force for political stability and economic growth in the Middle East”.

The proposed sale is bound to be questioned by Congress where the Senate this week rejected a bipartisan effort to halt US military support for the bombing campaign in Yemen.

The Trump administration strenuously protested the effort and sent Pentagon and State Department officials to Capitol Hill last week to lobby against its passage.

In the end, the administration prevailed and lawmakers from both parties shelved the measure for further debate by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, according to the Times.

Hours earlier, Prince Mohammed met Mattis, who characterized Saudi Arabia as “part of the solution” in Yemen, which has been ripped apart by civil war.

He said Saudi Arabia supported the government in Yemen’s capital Sana, which is recognized by the UN. “We are going to end this war. That is the bottom line,” Mattis said.

“And we are going to end it on positive terms for the people of Yemen but also security for the nations in the peninsula.”

Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said Mattis did not bring up the mounting civilian casualties in Yemen during his discussion with Prince Mohammed.

Instead, she said, the Defence Secretary discussed the continued cooperation between the US and Saudi Arabia through additional training and military education.

—IANS

Massive military action over possible n-strike: US Defence Secretary

Massive military action over possible n-strike: US Defence Secretary

US Defence Secretary James Mattis

US Defence Secretary James Mattis

Seoul : Visiting US Defence Secretary James Mattis warned on Saturday that a possible North Korean nuclear strike on the US or its allies will be defeated with a “massive military response”.

Speaking after talks with his South Korean counterpart Song Young-moo in Seoul, the Pentagon chief pointed out North Korea has accelerated its threats with “unnecessary” nuclear and missile programmes, reports Yonhap News Agency.

His remarks came after the conclusion of the 49th annual Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) between the US and South Korea, held at the Defence Ministry.

North Korea’s military will be overmatched by the allies’ combined defense posture, he stressed.

“Make no mistake, any attack on the US, or our allies, will be defeated.

“Any use of nuclear weapons will be met with a massive military response,” Mattis added.

Upon his arrival in South Korea on Friday, Mattis said that the American government did not want a war with North Korea, but rather initiate a process to achieve a complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

Mattis’ statement came during his visit to a border guard post and the Joint Security Area, which is part of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that divides the two Koreas.

He urged the Kim Jong-un regime to halt provocations that threaten others “with catastrophe”.

Mattis’ trip to the region comes ahead of US President Donald Trump’s visit to Asia next week.

However, Trump will most likely forgo a visit to the heavily fortified border, according to the White House.

—IANS