The United States is preparing in the coming days to lift the ban on the sale of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia, based on a decision by the Biden administration, according to sources from the U.S. State Department cited by Reuters.
This decision comes more than three years after the Biden administration issued the ban on the sale of offensive weapons to Riyadh, a move aimed at pressuring Saudi Arabia to end its war in Yemen. At that time, the Biden administration had suspended several arms deals with Saudi Arabia and other countries, such as Morocco.
This decision also comes as the U.S. presidential elections approach, indicating that the Biden administration is keen to address all pending decisions regarding various agreements and arms deals. The next in line could be the sale of four MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones to Morocco, a deal approved by the Trump administration in the final stage of his presidency, but subsequently suspended by the Biden administration.
It is worth noting that last May, international media reports confirmed that the U.S. Congress is once again preparing to revisit the deal for the sale of four MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones to Morocco, indicating the possibility of completing this deal and thereby enabling Morocco to acquire this model of remotely piloted drones, which are considered among the best military drones in the world today.
This deal was signed by former U.S. President Donald Trump during the final weeks of his presidency, as part of a comprehensive agreement that included several side clauses within the Moroccan-Israeli-American trilateral agreement. This agreement was behind the full normalization of diplomatic relations between Rabat and Tel Aviv and Washington’s recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara.
However, this deal, like many other arms deals signed by Trump with several countries, such as Morocco, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia, was suspended by the Biden administration to review them before giving final approval.
Many of the deals signed during Trump’s tenure remain pending under the current U.S. administration, while other deals have been approved. It is likely that the Moroccan deal will be among those approved before the end of Joe Biden's presidential term.
It is also noteworthy that Morocco has managed in recent years to sign several deals to acquire advanced drones and has already obtained dozens of units through deals with Turkey, China, Israel, and France.
