US approves $8.6bn in arms sales to Middle East allies after waiving congressional review

Washington: The administration of US President Donald Trump has approved military sales worth more than $8.6 billion to Israel, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates after bypassing the usual congressional review process.

The US State Department announced on Friday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had determined that an emergency existed, allowing the administration to waive congressional review requirements and move ahead with the sales immediately.

The announcements came as the US and Israel’s war against Iran completed nine weeks since it began, and more than three weeks had passed since a fragile ceasefire took effect.

Breakdown of approved sales

According to the State Department, Qatar was cleared to receive Patriot air and missile defence replenishment services valued at $4.01 billion. The department also approved the sale of Advanced Precision Kill Weapon Systems, or APKWS, to Qatar at a cost of $992.4 million.

The principal contractor for the APKWS sales to Qatar, Israel and the UAE is BAE Systems, the State Department said.

For Kuwait’s integrated battle command system sale and Qatar’s Patriot replenishment package, the principal contractors are RTX and Lockheed Martin, the department added. Northrop Grumman is also listed as a principal contractor in the Kuwaiti sale.

Scrutiny over military ties

Washington’s defence relationships with Kuwait, the UAE and Qatar have for years drawn criticism over the human rights records of those countries. Rights advocates say the concerns include restrictions on and reported abuses involving minorities, journalists, dissenting voices, the LGBT community and labourers.

Those countries have denied supporting or carrying out domestic rights abuses.

US backing for Israel has also faced scrutiny from rights experts, particularly over Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. The criticism has focused on a war that has killed tens of thousands, triggered a hunger crisis and prompted genocide assessments from scholars and a United Nations inquiry.

Israel says its actions are self-defence after Hamas-led fighters killed 1,200 people in an October 2023 attack.

Despite the criticism, Washington has continued to support its regional allies.

The State Department said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined that an emergency existed that required immediate sales to those countries and waived the congressional review requirements for the sales.

The latest approvals underline the administration’s continued military backing for key partners in the Middle East at a time of heightened regional tensions linked to the conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States.