The United States announced on Monday that it will lift the suspension on sales of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia, which was put in place at the beginning of the Biden administration due to concerns about human rights violations in the Yemen conflict.
According to a State Department spokesperson, the decision to resume weapon sales comes after Saudi Arabia demonstrated efforts to improve civilian harm mitigation measures and its policy towards Yemen. The suspension was conditional and has now been lifted as Saudi Arabia has met its obligations.
During the suspension period, the Biden administration engaged in intensive diplomacy with Saudi Arabia to work towards ending the conflict in Yemen. The truce mediated by the UN in the spring of 2022 has largely held, with a decrease in Saudi airstrikes into Yemen and cross-border fire from Yemen into Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia has also implemented improvements in civilian harm mitigation procedures, aligning its strike planning processes with US standards and participating in US-led trainings and joint exercises.
The decision to resume weapon sales is not directly linked to the administration's plans for post-war Gaza and Israel-Saudi normalization, although Saudi Arabia remains a key strategic partner of the United States.
The State Department emphasized that the resumption of weapon sales will follow regular order, with appropriate congressional notification and consultation.
