The Biden administration on Wednesday paused US arms sales to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia – one of many measures to tackle Trump-era foreign policy.
Secretary of State Tony Blinken, confirmed Tuesday as the country’s top diplomat, outlined some of the government’s immediate priorities at a press conference on Wednesday to reporters.
Blinken said arms sales to the two Arab countries, announced shortly after election day, will be reviewed to determine whether they meet US national security goals.
Affected by the suspension is the transfer of $ 23 billion from stealth F-35 fighters to the UAE.
Some fear that the UAE and Saudi Arabia will use advanced US weapons to continue the Saudi-led war in Yemen, which threatens to increase civilian deaths in the country.
Blinken expressed the greatest concern about a different foreign policy introduced in the waning days of the Trump administration, which labels the Yemeni Houthi rebels as terrorists.
“We’re taking a very urgent and very close look at that,” Blinken told reporters.
Critics are concerned that the terrorist designation, which includes strict US sanctions, will further flare up the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
The relationship between the US and Russia will be extensively reviewed, according to Blinken.
And the Biden government also wants to take a deep dive into the peace deal between the US and the Taliban that was signed nearly a year ago.
“We need to understand exactly what’s in the agreement,” said Blinken, before the administration can decide how to proceed.
The deal was struck to try to withdraw all US troops from Afghanistan by May 2021, after nearly 20 years of war.
Biden’s government asked Zalmay Khalilzad, Trump’s special envoy to Afghanistan, to remain on board so that he can “continue the vital work he is doing,” Blinken said.
As for Iran, Blinken said the government is willing to ease sanctions re-imposed by the Trump administration, as long as the country fully complies with the 2015 nuclear deal.
With pole wires