NEWSRAEL: Once again, the Biden Administration is about to erase a move it made when entering the White House which stop the sale of weapons to the Saudis. This, together with the Houthi-Iran aggression in the seas shows just how BIG a failure Biden's Middle East policy is.
The United States is preparing to ease restrictions on certain arms sales to Saudi Arabia, in a move that American officials told The New York Times comes after "the peace talks the kingdom held with the Houthi militia in Yemen."
US President Joe Biden imposed the restrictions two years ago amid fears that US weapons would be used against civilians in Yemen, in light of a military operation by the Saudi-led coalition against the Iran-backed Houthi group.
In February 2021, the American president emphasized that the war in Yemen "must end", adding: "As a confirmation of our determination, we are ending all American support for offensive operations in the war in Yemen, including arms sales."
Biden also confirmed at the time that Saudi Arabia is an ally of the United States. He said in his speech: "Saudi Arabia is facing threats, and we will continue to support it to protect its lands from attacks by groups supported by Iran."
Regarding the willingness of the United States to ease restrictions on the sale of large offensive weapons to the kingdom, the "New York Times" explained that this comes "after Riyadh's attempts to put the final clauses in a peace agreement with the Houthis with the backing of Washington."
A senior White House official in charge of national security affairs refused to comment on the matter. The sources who spoke with the newspaper also did not clarify when the restrictions would be eased.
Biden has the right to withdraw from this decision if he believes that "it is not in America's interest" to approve the flow of arms to Saudi Arabia, which is the largest buyer, much more than any other country, of American weapons, according to a newspaper.
The New York Times noted that Saudi Arabia "is now working with the Houthis to forge a peace agreement that will establish the current ceasefire in Yemen."
The report stated that "in recent weeks, Saudi officials have pressured American lawmakers and aides to the American president to ease the restrictions imposed on the sale of offensive weapons to the kingdom," according to American and Saudi officials who spoke to the newspaper and preferred to remain anonymous due to the confidentiality of the conversations.
The sources explained that "the Saudi justification for obtaining the weapons is to secure its southern borders in the event of future fighting, in addition to ensuring the kingdom's ability to deal with all the growing tensions in the region, in light of the escalation of the war in Gaza."