Trump defies Congress over Saudi arms

The Trump administration has invoked a rarely used provision in US federal law to bypass Congress and permit arms sales to Saudi Arabia for use in Yemen, claiming the Saudi state faces a threat from Iran.

The sales of €6bn of aircraft and weapons comes as Donald Trump announced plans to send 1,500 additional US troops to the Middle East as part of a build-up in response to an unspecified threat from Iran.

It also comes after the Trump regime actively courted close ties with Saudi Arabia — again, defying congressional objections — notably following the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents in October.

Khashoggi’s murder, coupled with increasing concerns about civilian casualties in the Saudi-led military operation against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, prompted the US Congress to block arms sales to the Saudis for more than a year.