Spain cancels delivery of 400 laser-guided bombs to Saudi Arabia

MADRID — Spain said Tuesday that it has canceled the delivery of 400 laser-guided bombs purchased by Saudi Arabia, over fears that the weapons will be used against Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The arms deal was originally signed in 2015 under Spain’s former conservative government, but the new center-left administration of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez plans to return the $10.6 million already paid by the Saudis, Cadena SER radio reported Tuesday.

A Defense Ministry spokesman confirmed the report, but declined to elaborate. She was not authorized to be identified in media reports.

International rights groups have blamed a Saudi-led coalition’s airstrikes and other attacks in Yemen for the killing of civilians, including children. U.N. human-rights experts say all sides, including militias backed by the United Arab Emirates, may have committed war crimes in the conflict raging since March 2015.

The Saudi Embassy in Madrid did not immediately respond to emailed questions and follow-up calls.

Sanchez’s Socialist party had promised to revise the country’s arms deals before the new prime minister ousted his predecessor, Mariano Rajoy, in a parliamentary vote in June.

As a longtime commercial ally of Saudi Arabia, Spain is the fourth-largest provider of military equipment and weapons to the Persian Gulf state, according to Amnesty International. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, an independent global security database, says the United States, Britain and France are Riyadh’s main suppliers.