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Senate votes to block arms sales to Saudi Arabia, UAE and Jordan

The measures now go to the House, which is expected to follow suit. U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to veto them.

U.S. Congress. Credit: Pixabay.
U.S. Congress. Credit: Pixabay.

In three votes on Thursday, the U.S. Senate passed 22 resolutions to prevent arms sales to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan without congressional approval.

The tally of the first two votes was each 53-45, while the final resolution passed 51-45.

The measures now go to the U.S. House of Representatives, which is expected to follow suit.

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to veto the resolutions. The votes fall short of the necessary two-thirds majority to override a veto.

One of the votes was a rebuke of the Trump administration’s posture towards Saudi Arabia especially in the aftermath of the death of writer and Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi, allegedly ordered by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

The United States sees Saudi Arabia as an ally against the Iranian threat.

“It’s not a decisive shift to a new phase of the war,” Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran, told JNS. “Rather it is a reminder that the U.S. has the will to police the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian retaliation was likely factored into U.S. planning.”
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