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[Text/Observer Network Zhang Jingjuan] The US State Department said on the 9th that the Biden administration has decided to lift the ban on the sale of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia. Reuters quoted people familiar with the matter as saying that arms sales may resume as early as next week.

Saudi Arabia has traditionally been one of the largest arms buyers of the United States. Shortly after taking office in 2021, U.S. President Biden halted the sale of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia on the grounds of the Yemeni civil war. In 2022, the two sides of the Yemeni conflict agreed to a ceasefire through UN mediation, and the U.S. government subsequently began to evaluate the relevant decision.

A senior State Department official reportedly confirmed that the U.S. State Department will lift its moratorium on the transfer of certain air-to-ground munitions to Saudi Arabia. “We will consider new transfers on a case-by-case basis in accordance with our conventional arms transfer policy,” the official said.

According to the report, a U.S. congressional aide said that the U.S. government informed Congress of the decision to lift the ban this week. A person familiar with the matter said that the U.S. government had begun notifying the sale on Friday afternoon.

“The Saudis have fulfilled their part of the agreement, and we are prepared to fulfill ours,” said a senior Biden administration official.

On July 15, 2022, Biden fist-bumped with Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed during his visit to Saudi Arabia.

Under U.S. law, major international arms deals must be reviewed by members of Congress before they are finalized. In recent years, both Democratic and Republican lawmakers have raised questions about providing offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia, citing civilian casualties from Saudi combat operations in Yemen and a range of human rights issues.

However, with this roundIsraeli-Palestinian conflictThe turmoil in the Middle East following the outbreak, coupled with the generally calm situation in Yemen, has helped to moderate the voices of opposition.

A senior Biden administration official said Saudi Arabia andHouthi armed forcesA ceasefire agreement was reached in 2022. Since then, Saudi Arabia has not launched any air strikes in Yemen, and cross-border attacks launched from Yemen to Saudi Arabia have basically stopped.

The Financial Times previously analyzed that this was largely because Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed has been focusing on domestic development and easing tensions with regional "hostiles" such as Iran in recent years, so he has been conducting peace talks with the Houthis.

Reuters said that the Yemen conflict is seen as one of several proxy wars between Iran and Saudi Arabia. In September 2014, the Houthi armed forces seized the Yemeni capital Sanaa and later occupied the southern region of Yemen, forcing then-President Hadi to seek refuge in Saudi Arabia. In March 2015, Saudi Arabia and other countries launched a military operation codenamed "Decisive Storm" against the Houthi armed forces. The multinational coalition had a military advantage, but the war lasted for several years with little success.

Although Biden took a tougher stance on arms sales to Saudi Arabia in 2021, relations between Saudi Arabia and the United States have warmed since the outbreak of this round of Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Biden administration is also negotiating a defense agreement and a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia as part of a broad agreement that envisions normalizing relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, although this remains an elusive goal.

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