US clears $3.8b arms sales to Bahrain
Washington : The US State Department has approved arms sales packages worth more than $3.8 billion to Bahrain including F-16 jets, upgrades, missiles and patrol boats, according to Pentagon officials.
The proposed sales include 19 F-16V jets made by Lockheed Martin Corp which could have a value of up to $2.7 billion, according to the Pentagon.
Other potential sales approved Friday include two 35 meter (114 feet) patrol boats with machine guns, 221 anti-tank missiles made by Raytheon Co and $1.8 billion worth of upgrades to Bahrain’s existing fleet of F-16 jets, the Pentagon said in separate statements.
In May, US President Donald Trump said Washington’s relations with Bahrain would improve, after meeting with His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa during a visit to Saudi Arabia. However in June, U.S. Senator Bob Corker, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, had said he would block arms sales to members of the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council, including Bahrain, until they made progress in resolving the dispute with Qatar.
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