US Congress Reviews Arms Sales to Saudis, UAE – Source

The US Congress has been asked to review a sale of some 120,000 precision-guided munitions (PGMs) to two Persian Gulf nations, reports Reuters citing unnamed sources.

US President Donald Trump has widely advertised the massive arms deal with Saudis last year, a total net worth of which is estimated at some $100,000 billion, saying this will help create more jobs in the United States.

However, the deal raised concerns in Congress, as Saudi Arabia is leading a campaign against Houthi rebels in Yemen — a conflict that reportedly took the lives of 15,000 civilians. According to Human Rights Watch, some 8 million people have been driven to the brink of famine and some 1 million people have been infected with cholera because of the military conflict.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo defended the deal in congressional hearing Wednesday saying US Administration believes selling PGMs would reduce the risk of collateral civilian casualties.

"It is this administration's judgment that providing precision-guided munitions actually decreases the risk," he told a congressional hearing, according to New York Post.

According to the Independent, the total cost of PGMs within the $100 billion arms deal amounts to some $7 billion. It is unknown what portion of the guided missile sales is currently being reviewed by the US Congress.

Neither Raytheon, the US biggest producer of PGMs, nor responsible House and Senate Committee personnel commented on the issue yet.