The Biden administration on Wednesday suspended U.S. arms sales to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, one of several moves to deal with foreign policies from the Trump era.
Secretary of State Tony Blinken, who was confirmed as the nation’s top diplomat on Tuesday, outlined to reporters some of the administration’s immediate priorities at a press conference on Wednesday.
Blinken said arms sales to the two Arab nations, which were announced shortly after election day, will be reviewed to determine whether they adhere to U.S. national security goals.
The suspension is affected by the transfer of $ 23 billion in stealth F-35 fighters to the UAE.
Some fear that the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia will use U.S. advanced weapons to continue the Saudi-led war in Yemen, risking the death of civilians in the country.
Blinken expressed the most serious concern about another foreign policy implemented in the waning days of the Trump administration, which designates terrorists as Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
“We’re looking at it very urgently and very closely,” Blinken told reporters.
Critics are concerned that the terrorist designation, which includes strict U.S. sanctions, will further influence Yemen’s humanitarian crisis.
The US-Russia relationship will face a thorough review, according to Blinken.
And the Biden administration also wants to delve deeper into the US-Taliban peace agreement signed almost a year ago.
“We need to understand exactly what’s in the agreement,” Blinken said, before the administration can decide how to move forward.
The deal was concluded to try to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan in May 2021 after nearly 20 years of war.
The Biden administration called for Zalmay Khalilzad, Trump’s special envoy to Afghanistan, to stay on board so he could “continue the vital work he is doing,” Blinken said.
As for Iran, Blinken said the administration is ready to ease the sanctions the Trump administration re-imposed, as long as the country fully complies with the 2015 nuclear deal.
With publishing cables