State Department approves over $8B in arms sales to Gulf nations

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Hill

05/02/26 2:45 PM ET


The State Department on Friday approved over $8 billion in arms sales to Persian Gulf countries and Israel, nations that have all been involved in the U.S.-Israeli conflict in Iran. Purchases approved included an Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) to the United Arab Emirates for $147.6 million, to Israel for $992.4 million and to Qatar for $992.4 million. The State Department also approved the replenishment of Qatar’s Patriot missile capacity for $4.01 billion and an Integrated Battle Command System to Kuwait for $2.5 billion.

The APKWS includes rocket launchers, high explosive warheads and proximity fuzes, among other items, to the UAE and Qatar; technical data, spare and repair parts, personnel training and training equipment and U.S. government and contractor engineering, among other items, to Israel and Qatar. Defense equipment to be sold to Kuwait include communications equipment, generators, vehicles, training equipment including an air defense reconfigurable trainer and field office support, among other items.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio “determined and provided detailed justification that an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale to” each country, the State Department stated. Each sale “is in the national security interests of the United States, thereby waiving the Congressional review requirements…”

All of the proposed sales “contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a strategic regional partner that has been, and continues to be, an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East,” the department added. The approval of the sales comes after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth released $400 million in Ukraine support. Pentagon Comptroller Jules Hurst III said the aid was “not under contract, but released to be put under contract.”

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5860824-state-dept-arms-sales-gulf/