US to equip Saudi and UAE with THAAD and Patriot

Washington: There is a significant shift in the stance of the Biden administration, which denied air defence systems to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over the last year, citing human rights violations. The US State Department informed that it would provide advanced air defence systems such as Patriot and THAAD to Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The US State Department has said that the United States made this announcement underlining the threat to Saudi Arabia and the UAE from terrorist organizations affiliated with Iran.

Last year, the Biden administration imposed sanctions on Saudi Arabia and UAE, raising the issue of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and Saudi actions in Yemen. The Biden administration had refused to provide interceptors for the Patriot missile defence systems in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Also, the United States withdrew the air defence systems deployed in Saudi Arabia and UAE. In addition, the Houthi rebels in Yemen, who launched missile attacks on the capitals of Saudi Arabia and the UAE, were excluded from the list of terrorist organizations by the Biden administration.

Moreover, this seriously impacted the security of Saudi and UAE. But after the conflict in Ukraine started, an international fuel crisis developed. After this, the Biden administration had to plead with Saudi Arabia and the UAE to increase fuel production. However, the leadership of Saudi and UAE avoided taking the call of the US President. Both these Arab countries had categorically refused to increase the production of fuel. Because of this, the US President had to change his stance and visit Saudi Arabia and meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Following the visit, President Biden’s administration announced providing an air defence system worth more than five billion dollars to Saudi Arabia and the UAE. According to this, the US will provide Saudi Arabia with nearly 300 interceptors required for the Patriot system at the cost of $3.05 billion. The United States will provide the UAE with an air defence system worth $2.25 billion. The US State Department claimed that this would assist in shooting down the missiles and rockets launched by the Houthi rebels, targeting the major cities of Riyadh, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Jeddah.

Meanwhile, Iran supports the Houthi rebels in Yemen. Therefore, it seems that the Biden administration has warned Iran with this decision to provide air security systems to Saudi and UAE for anti-Houthi operations.