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US State Department confirms $750 million military sale to Saudi

Monday, 05 June 2017 9:30 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 05 June 2017 11:29 PM ]

US President Donald Trump (2nd-R) and Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud take part in a sword dance in the capital Riyadh on May 20, 2017. (Photos by AFP)

The US State Department confirms a $750 million military sale to Saudi Arabia as part of a huge deal sealed by President Donald Trump, says the Pentagon.

The Pentagon said on its website on Monday that the sale would include a "blanket order training program" for the Royal Saudi Air Force and other Saudi forces inside and outside the kingdom, Reuters reported.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which implements foreign arms sales, notified US Congress of the sale on Friday, giving lawmakers 30 days to reconsider the sale, an unconventional measure.

US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump board Air Force One in Riyadh as they head to Israel on May 22, 2017.

Saudi Arabia has agreed to buy $110 billion of US weapons, with options to buy up to $350 billion over 10 years.

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The first stop on Trump's first overseas trip was Riyadh, where he announced the arms deal on May 20.

Reportedly brokered by the Republican president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, the package includes American missiles, bombs, armored personnel carriers, warships and munitions.

Ivanka Trump (C-L) and Jared Kushner (C-R) arrive to attend the presentation of the Order of Abdulaziz Al Saud medal at the Saudi Royal Court in Riyadh on May 20, 2017.

The US has been the main supplier of arms to the monarchy.

The announcement came at a time that the kingdom announced it was severing ties with its key regional ally Qatar, a move being copied by some other Arab states, such as the UAE and Egypt.

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