Trump administration approves sale of $15bn Thaad missile defence system to Saudi Arabia
UN human rights chief has said Saudi-led air strikes cause majority of civilian casualties including many children in war-torn Yemen
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The US government has approved the possible sale of a THAAD anti-missile defence system to Saudi Arabia at an estimated cost of $15 billion, the Pentagon said on Friday, citing Iran among regional threats.
The approval opens the way for Saudi Arabia to purchase 44 Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) launchers and 360 missiles, as well as fire control stations and radars.
“This sale furthers US national security and foreign policy interests, and supports the long-term security of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region in the face of Iranian and other regional threats,” the Pentagon’s Defence Security Cooperation agency said in a statement.
Saudi Arabia and the US are highly critical of what they consider to be Iran’s aggressive behaviour in the Middle East.
Iran also has one of the biggest ballistic missile programmes in the Middle East, viewing it as an essential precautionary defence against the US and other adversaries, primarily Gulf Arab states and Israel.
THAAD missile systems are deployed to defend against ballistic missile attacks.
Saudi-owned al Arabiya television reported that the kingdom had agreed to buy Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile systems, an announcement that came as Saudi King Salman made during his visit to Russia, the first by a Saudi monarch.
US military sales to Saudi Arabia have come under increased scrutiny over the Saudi-led coalition’s war in Yemen.
Riyadh and its allies have been bombing the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen since the Houthis seized much of the country’s north in 2015.
Riyadh insists the coalition is fighting terrorists and supporting Yemen’s legitimate government but the office of the UN human rights chief has said Saudi-led air strikes cause the majority of civilian casualties including many children.
Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor for the THAAD system, with Raytheon playing an important role in the system’s deployment.
The United States deployed THAAD to South Korea this year to guard against North Korea’s shorter-range missiles, drawing fierce criticism from China, which says the system’s powerful radar could probe deep into its territory.
Reuters
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments