The Trump administration has announced more than $8.6 billion in emergency arms sales to partners in the Middle East as negotiations to end the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran remained at an impasse.
The State Department announced the sales in a series of statements on Friday night. The sales authorize the transfer of rockets to Israel, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates and air-defense equipment to Qatar and Kuwait. The Persian Gulf countries sustained repeat barrages of Iranian drones and ballistic missiles during the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
Under the terms of the deal with Qatar, the Gulf country would pay more than $4 billion for American-made Patriot missile interceptors — global stockpiles of which have dwindled during the war with Iran.
Israel, the Emirates and Qatar would receive an Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System, which fires laser-guided rockets. Kuwait also purchased an advanced aerial defense system for about $2.5 billion.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio expedited the deals under an emergency provision allowing the “immediate sale” of the weapons, the State Department said, bypassing standard congressional review and prompting criticism from Democratic lawmakers. This is the third time the second Trump administration has invoked an emergency authorization during the Iran war to bypass Congress on arms sales.
The sales came after the United States, Israel and several Gulf Arab countries expended an enormous amount of munitions during the war with Iran.
It was unclear when the weapons would arrive in the region, since it takes years to build large quantities of defensive interceptors and other types of munitions. The slow pace of production has become an acute concern in Washington, and any such weapons that American arms companies make for other countries mean less for the United States. Some Pentagon officials have expressed anxiety about diminishing U.S. stockpiles.
The war was paused after a cease-fire went into effect last month, but negotiations to reach a lasting peace have become deadlocked, with the United States and Iran drawing seemingly incompatible red lines on the country’s nuclear program.
President Trump has repeatedly threatened to attack Iranian civilian infrastructure, including its power plants, unless the country’s leaders assent to his conditions. Such strikes would be considered war crimes. On Friday, Mr. Trump said he was “not satisfied” with the latest Iranian proposal, hours after Iran’s state media reported that its negotiators had sent an offer.
Both countries are engaged in a risky standoff in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for oil and gas. Iran has prevented Western shipping from traversing the strait, rattling global energy markets, while the United States has imposed a blockade of Iranian ports. On Saturday, Mohammad Jafar Asadi, an Iranian general, said in a statement reported by Iranian media that a return to war with the United States was possible.
As the U.S.-Israeli assault on Iran began on Feb. 28, Iran retaliated by firing volleys of ballistic missiles and drones at countries across the region that hosted American military bases. At least 20 civilians and several soldiers were killed across Gulf Arab countries during the war, according to figures released by the local authorities.
Iranian forces aimed missiles and drones at U.S. bases and embassies, destroying many buildings. The attacks also struck civilian infrastructure across the Gulf and in Israel, including hotels, ports, critical energy sites and residential buildings.
The Emirates bore the brunt of Iran’s retaliatory attacks on the Gulf Arab countries and said they had been targeted by more than 500 ballistic missiles and 2,500 drones. During the war, Israel quietly sent some Iron Dome missile-defense equipment to the United Arab Emirates to help repel the attacks.
After the war began, Qatar requested additional interceptors from the United States, fearing that its stockpiles could eventually run out in the face of persistent Iranian assaults, according to people familiar with the matter.
On Friday, Democratic lawmakers criticized the Trump administration for bypassing congressional review of the weapon shipments, arguing that the White House was trying to avoid oversight of a war that is broadly unpopular among the American public.
“This arms transfer reflects a broader pattern: ignoring the law, bypassing Congress and making major national security decisions without transparency or accountability,” said Gregory W. Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
The Biden administration also twice used an emergency declaration to sell weapons to Israel during the Gaza war.
The State Department said in its announcements that the sales were in the national security interest of the United States.
When an administration gives formal notification of a potential arms sale, lawmakers can introduce resolutions to try to secure enough votes to block the sale. Several such recent resolutions aimed at blocking arms to the Middle East have been defeated, mainly because of Republican support for the sales.
In 2019, the first Trump administration declared an “emergency” over Iran to bypass Congress and sell arms without lawmaker approval to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. That led to an investigation by the State Department inspector general.
