The Obama administration announced Thursday that it has signed an arms deal with Saudi Arabia, selling more than $30 billion in highly advanced F-15 fighter jets and sending other advanced weapons to the kingdom just as tensions between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia’s regional neighbor Iran continue to escalate. The sale of 84 new aircraft, and the upgrading of 70 F-15s already in the Saudi air force, sends “a strong message to countries in the region that the United States is committed to stability in the Gulf and broader Middle East,” said Assistant Secretary of State Andrew Shapiro. “It will enhance Saudi Arabia’s ability to deter and defend against external threats to its sovereignty.”
The first new aircraft will be delivered to Saudi Arabia in early 2015, Pentagon officials said.
The approval, which was signed on Christmas Eve, comes just days after Tehran threatened to shut down the Strait of Hormuz. Congress has passed a bill to place strict sanctions on Iran because of Tehran’s continued pursuit of nuclear weapons. U.S. military officials warned Wednesday that the U.S. would not tolerate any shutdown of the vital oil waterway route by Iran.
Tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran escalated in October when the U.S. Justice Department announced that members of Tehran’s Revolutionary Guard were plotting to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the U.S. in Washington through the use of Mexican drug cartel assassins.
The deal with Boeing is expected to create more than 50,000 American jobs, and help 600 suppliers of parts in more than 44 states. About 5,500 Saudi personnel will receive training on the weapons systems and aircraft until 2019, Pentagon officials said.
Boeing CEO Jim McNerney said Thursday in a news release that “we appreciate the efforts of the Obama Administration and the trust of King Abdullah’s government in finalizing the agreement, which will support tens of thousands of American jobs and help the Kingdom enhance its defense capabilities and diversify its workforce.”
White House deputy press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters in Hawaii, “This agreement reinforces the strong and enduring relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia and demonstrates the U.S. commitment to a strong Saudi defense capability as a key component to regional security.”
The F-15 sale is part of a larger $60 billion package that will send Apache and Black Hawk helicopters, plus high-tech missiles and bombs, to Saudi Arabia.
When the Saudi government first requested the package in April 2010, it met with congressional resistance from members who said it could create a threat to Israel. Shapiro said those concerns have been discussed but he would not disclose details, saying he was “not going to get into private diplomatic discussions” that the U.S. has had with Israel.
Sara A. Carter is The Washington Examiner’s national security correspondent. She can be reached at [email protected].
