(Reuters) – The Biden administration has decided to lift a ban on U.S. sales of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia, the State Department said on Friday, reversing a three-year-old policy to pressure the kingdom to wind down the Yemen war.
The State Department was lifting its suspension on certain transfers of air-to-ground munitions to Saudi Arabia, a senior department official confirmed. “We will consider new transfers on a typical case-by-case basis consistent with the Conventional Arms Transfer Policy,” the official said.
Reuters was first to report the decision earlier, citing five sources.
The administration briefed Congress this week on its decision to lift the ban, a congressional aide said. One source said sales could resume as early as next week. The U.S. government was moving ahead on Friday afternoon with notifications about a sale, a person briefed on the matter said.
Read more: US to lift ban on offensive weapons sales to Saudi Arabia [from Reuters]