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US to sell F-35 fighter jets to UAE, Mike Pompeo confirms

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Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Washington, United States - Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he had authorised the sale in keeping with the administration’s Middle East peace efforts.

Published: Tue 10 Nov 2020, 9:38 PM

Updated: Tue 10 Nov 2020, 11:24 PM

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  • AP

The Trump administration formally notified Congress on Tuesday that it plans to sell 50 stealth F-35 fighter jets to the UAE as part of a broader arms deal worth nearly a quarter billion dollars.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he had authorised the sale in keeping with the administration’s Middle East peace efforts. The notification to lawmakers follows the signing of the Abraham Accord between Israel, Bahrain and the UAE, under which the Arab states have agreed to normalise relations with Israel.

“This is in recognition of our deepening relationship and the UAE’s need for advanced defense capabilities to deter and defend itself against heightened threats from Iran,” Pompeo said in a statement.

The sale, worth up to $23.37 billion, includes 50 F-35s, 18 advanced armed drone systems and a package of air-to-air and air-to-ground munitions.

“The UAE’s historic agreement to normalise relations with Israel under the Abraham Accord offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to positively transform the region’s strategic landscape,” Pompeo said.



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