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US hopes to solve ‘outstanding issues’ with UAE over $23 bln arms deal: State Dept

The US is hopeful that it can work out any “outstanding issues” with the UAE over a $23 billion arms deal, a State Department official said Tuesday, shortly after a report suggested the United Arab Emirates was considering pulling out of the deal.“As we recently confirmed at the Dubai Air Show, the Biden-Harris Administration remains committed to the proposed sales of F-35 aircraft, the MQ-9B, and munitions even as we continue consultations to ensure that we have a clear, mutual understanding of Emirati obligations and actions before, during, and after delivery,” the official told Al Arabiya English.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Initially struck under the Trump administration, the UAE had requested to buy the US fighter jet and other weapons, including armed drones, as part of the Abraham Accords deal, which saw the UAE normalize ties with Israel.But the Biden administration’s decision to review all foreign arms sales, including this deal, led to increased skepticism.While visiting the Dubai Air Show last month, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Regional Security Mira Resnick said the US intended to move forward with the proposed defense sales.On Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal cited a UAE official as saying that they informed Washington of the suspension of talks over the F-35 fighter jet. “Technical requirements, sovereign operational restrictions, and the cost/benefit analysis led to the reassessment,” the statement read.Asked to comment on the UAE’s new stance, the State Department official told Al Arabiya English: “We are hopeful that we can work through any outstanding issues, and we look forward to the US-UAE Joint Military Dialogue later this week.”Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland was in the UAE last week to discuss “and advance key regional security and economic issues,” the State Department said before her trip.The Wall Street Journal reported that senior UAE officials had a visit scheduled to the Pentagon later this week.
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: US hopes to solve ‘outstanding issues’ with UAE over bln arms deal: State Dept

Why Did GCC Countries Record Disappointing Results in the Political Participation Index?

There is an urgent need in all Gulf countries for genuine constitutional reforms and new social contracts that guarantee people’s rights to political participation, decision making, and control of national wealth..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Why Did GCC Countries Record Disappointing Results in the Political Participation Index?

US Navy seizes two caches of Iranian arms in Arabian Sea destined for Yemen’s Houthis

The US Navy seized two large caches of Iranian weapons from two vessels in the Arabian sea which Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC) intended to ship to the Houthi militias in Yemen, the US Justice Department said on Tuesday.The caches contained 171 surface-to-air missiles and eight anti-tank missiles, as well as approximately 1.1 million barrels of Iranian petroleum products. The petroleum products were seized from four foreign-flagged tankers in or around the Arabian Sea while en route to Venezuela.The Justice Department said Tuesday’s seizure represent the US “largest-ever forfeitures of fuel and weapons shipments from Iran.”The US government sold the seized petroleum products for $26.7 million and directed that amount to the US Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund.“The actions of the US in these two cases strike a resounding blow to the Government of Iran and to the criminal networks supporting Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.Iran has long been accused of fanning the flames of violence in the Middle East through financial and military support to its network of Shia proxies in the region, specifically in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Read more:US Senate approves $650 million missile sale to Saudi ArabiaPentagon says Iranian helicopter came close to US warship in Gulf of OmanUS flies B-1B bomber over Middle East amid Iran tensions
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: US Navy seizes two caches of Iranian arms in Arabian Sea destined for Yemen’s Houthis

Houthi militia fires projectile at Jizan marketplace, coalition intercepts drone

Arab coalition forces intercepted a drone over Yemeni airspace in the early hours of Wednesday morning, according to the official SPA news agency.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Separately, a projectile launched by the Iran-backed Houthi militia landed near a marketplace in the Saudi city of Jizan on Tuesday evening.No information about casualties was provided. A coalition spokesperson called the Jizan attack an attempt to “target civilians in a deliberate and systematic manner.”The coalition also announced on Tuesday that it had destroyed a Houthi missile defense system in Yemen’s Marib, where clashes between Houthis and the coalition have intensified in recent months.Saudi Arabia is taking all necessary measures to protect civilians and stop cross-border attacks, coalition spokesperson Brigadier General Turki al-Maliki said in a statement carried by SPA.Cross-border attacks have been a regular occurrence since the Arab coalition’s 2015 intervention in Yemen’s civil war.The coalition has also intensified bombing of Yemen’s capital Sanaa in recent weeks.On Tuesday the coalition announced that it had carried out another round of overnight air raids that destroyed a missile and drone launch site in the city.The US Navy seized two large caches of Iranian weapons bound for the Houthi militia including 171 surface-to-air missiles and eight anti-tank missiles, the US Justice Department said on Tuesday.Read more:Coalition strikes Sanaa after Yemen Houthis fire missile: ReportUS slams Iran-backed Houthis for terrorist attacks on Saudi ArabiaMore than 90 Houthis killed in last 24 hours in Yemen’s Marib: Arab Coalition
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Houthi militia fires projectile at Jizan marketplace, coalition intercepts drone