According to Reuters, a congressional aide said that the administration informed Congress of its decision to lift the ban this week. Sales could resume as soon as next week, a source said. “The Saudis have held up their end of the bargain, and we stand ready to hold up our end, and we will return these cases to the regular system through appropriate notification and coordination with Congress,” a senior Biden administration official said. Last June, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Biden administration was nearly finalising an unprecedented defence agreement with Saudi Arabia.
The publication has stated that US President Joe Biden’s administration is nearing completion of a treaty with Saudi Arabia. This treaty entails a commitment from Washington to assist in the kingdom’s defence and to develop diplomatic relations between Riyadh and Israel.
The murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Istanbul head consulate was the reason for the US’s ban on Saudi Arabia as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved the killing of the dissident and journalist in 2018. The House voted to restrict arms sales to Saudi Arabia.
The Biden administration has implemented a more stringent approach towards arms sales, noting the Saudi kingdom’s military operations against the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen, which have resulted in significant harm to civilian populations.
. Germany has also followed a similar path against Saudi Arabia after the Khashoggi assassination. The German stance was concluded in 2023 following the German Foreign Minister’s meeting with Israel’s President.
