May 2, 2026, 10:33 p.mMay 2, 2026, 10:34 p.m
Likes to work past lawmakers: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.Image: keystone
The US State Department has approved billions in arms sales to Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Foreign Minister Marco Rubio approved eight arms deliveries worth over 25 billion US dollars (around 19.5 billion francs) by emergency decision, a spokesman for the ministry confirmed to the German Press Agency. Due to the declared emergency, unlike usual, no approval from Congress is required.
Since the beginning of the war, Iran has fired thousands of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones at US partners in the region, the statement said. Most of them were successfully intercepted. The ministry also justified the urgency of the approval by saying that the partners “are currently under attack”.
Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, viewed the move as a defiance of Congress. Of the exports listed, only one concerns defense goods that could be exported immediately. “The government is using the pretext of an emergency declaration to push through sales that have no urgent connection to current conflicts,” he said.
Together with Israel, the USA attacked Iran at the end of February. Iran responded with missile and drone attacks on Israel and Arab states in the Gulf. A ceasefire has been in effect since the beginning of April. (sda/dpa)