By Jared Malsin
The Trump administration on Thursday moved forward with $23 billion in weapons sales to the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Jordan, acting to bolster those countries militarily during the conflict with Iran, according to U.S. officials familiar with the decision.
The proposed weapons sales include more than $16 billion announced earlier on Thursday by the State Department, including air-defense systems, bombs, and radar for the U.A.E., and $8 billion in air-defense equipment for Kuwait.
In addition, the administration also approved about $7 billion in weapons for the U.A.E. that the State Department is not required to announce to the public under the rules governing U.S. arms exports, which use different modalities for different types of sales.
The unannounced deals include the sale of Patriot PAC-3 Missiles worth about $5.6 billion and CH-47 Chinook helicopters costing about $1.32 billion to the U.A.E., according to U.S. officials. Those sales were not announced publicly because they expanded previously agreed arms deals.
The U.S. also approved $37 million in so-called Direct Commercial Sales of Predator XP drones and sustainment programs for light B-250/350 aircraft with an unspecified dollar value, the officials said.
The Trump administration has decided to press ahead with a range of proposed weapons sales in order to support Middle East allies that are under attack from Iran, according to officials familiar with the deals.
The administration is invoking the emergency clause of U.S. arms control law for some of the sales to the U.A.E., meaning the deals will bypass the congressional review process that usually oversees major foreign weapons sales. The proposed sales include radar and air-defense equipment for integration with the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system in the U.A.E. at an estimated cost of $4.5 billion.
The sale will improve the U.A.E.'s "capability to meet current and future threats," the State Department said of the sale of the air defense items. The State Department also said it approved $70.5 million worth of aircraft and munitions support and related equipment for Jordan.
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 19, 2026 18:32 ET (22:32 GMT)
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