Washington DC, July 30: The US Senate failed on Monday to overturn United States President Donald Trump’s vetoes of laws passed by the US Congress that would permit the administration to block the arms sale to Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
According to Al-Jazeera news reports, support of the bill failed to override Trump’s vetoes by 45-40 votes, a short of two-third required. Five of the 53-member Republicans joined Democrats in the voting to overturn Trump’s decision.
In May, the Trump government announced it would go ahead with some more than $8 billion in arms sale, overriding a congressional review procedure.
The law would have barred the sale of Raytheon Co precision-guided munitions and its related equipment.
Last month, secretary of state Mike Pompeo referred to threats from Iran as motivation to endorse the $8.1 billion arms deal with the two US partners in the Persian Gulf.
Saudi Arabia is a rival of Iran and pressure has mounted between Abu Dhabi and Tehran over various issues, incorporating the UAE’s coordination with Washington efforts to restrict what it calls Tehran’s malign exercises in the area.
The White House argued suspending the arms deal would send a sign that America doesn’t stand by its allies and partners, especially when threats are increasing against them, according to Dawn news reports.
The arms sale package included precision-guided weapons, other bombs and ammo and flying machine maintenance support.
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