Senior Saudi officials have pressed their US counterparts to end the policy of only selling defensive weapons to its top Gulf partner in several meetings in Riyadh and Washington in recent months, three of the sources said ahead of President Joe Biden’s visit to the kingdom this week. Internal US consultations are informal and at an early stage, with no decision imminent, two sources said, and a US official told Reuters there were no offensive weapons discussions with the Saudis “at this time”. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register But as Biden prepares for a diplomatically sensitive trip, he has signaled that he wants to restore strained relations with Saudi Arabia at a time when he wants increased Gulf oil supplies along with closer Arab security ties with Israel to counter Iran . read more Domestically, any move to lift restrictions on assault weapons is sure to draw opposition in Congress, including from Biden’s fellow Democrats and opposition Republicans, who are staunch critics of Saudi Arabia, congressional aides say. Soon after taking office early last year, Biden took a tougher stance on Saudi Arabia’s campaign against Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen, which has caused heavy civilian casualties, and the historic of Riyadh on human rights, particularly the assassination of the Washington Post journalist and politician in 2018. rival Jamal Khashoggi. Biden, who as a presidential candidate denounced Saudi Arabia as a “pariah”, announced in February 2021 an end to US support for offensive operations in Yemen, including “related arms sales”. Saudi Arabia, the largest US arms customer, has backed away from those restrictions, which froze the kind of arms sales that previous US administrations provided for decades. Biden’s approach has softened after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in March, which prompted the United States and other Western countries to call on Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, to pump more oil to offset the loss of Russian supplies. Saudi Arabia also won praise at the White House for agreeing in early June to a two-month extension to a UN-brokered ceasefire in Yemen, the scene of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. read more Washington would now like to see it turn into a permanent ceasefire. A person in Washington familiar with the matter said the administration had begun internal discussions about the possibility of lifting Saudi arms restrictions, but indicated they had not reached a decision-making stage. Among the times Saudi officials made the request was during Deputy Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman’s visit to Washington in May, according to a second source. Asked if the administration was considering ending the assault weapons freeze, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan did not directly answer the question, but told reporters on Monday: “Right now, there is nothing on the table to lift this ban ». The flags of the United States and Saudi Arabia are seen on Mecca Road as part of celebrations to welcome United States President Donald Trump, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 19, 2017. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser/Files read more “Right now, our focus is on strengthening and maintaining a fragile but real ceasefire” in Yemen, he added. The Saudi government did not respond to a request for comment.
YEMEN CONFLICT
The sources stressed, however, that no announcement is expected on Biden’s July 13-16 trip, which will include stops in Israel and the West Bank. Any decision, they said, is expected to depend largely on whether Riyadh is seen as having done enough to find a political settlement to the conflict in Yemen. Among the big-ticket items the Saudis would likely seek are precision-guided munitions (PGMs) like those approved under former President Donald Trump in the face of objections from members of Congress. But the Biden administration is expected to tread carefully as it discusses what systems could be offered, two sources said. Amnesty International said US-made precision-guided bombs were used in a Saudi-led coalition airstrike on a detention center in Yemen in January that killed many. If Washington eases the ban, it may be easier to promote sales of less lethal equipment such as armored personnel carriers or to replenish stockpiles of less sophisticated ground-to-ground and air-to-ground weapons. Even under existing restrictions, the United States began ramping up military support for Saudi Arabia earlier this year following Houthi missile attacks on the kingdom. read more Washington approved sales of missiles and an anti-ballistic defense system to Saudi Arabia, the Pentagon said in November, and the United States has sent Patriot missiles again this year – all US officials consider to be defensive in nature. The Biden administration also continued to support the Saudis to get a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system first approved in 2017 to counter ballistic missile threats. While lawmakers have largely acquiesced to such sales, Biden could face repercussions on Capitol Hill if he decides to sell offensive weapons to Riyadh again. Some questioned Biden’s decision to visit Saudi Arabia, seeing it as a nod to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia, who the US intelligence community concluded was behind Khashoggi’s murder. Among the potential challengers would be Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy, a staunch critic of Saudi Arabia’s campaign in Yemen, who praised Biden when he froze sales of assault weapons. An aide said Murphy does not believe now is the time to resume such supplies. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Reporting by Matt Spetalnick and Mike Stone in Washington and Aziz El Yaakoubi in Riyadh. Editing by Mary Milliken and Howard Goller Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
