US approves $2.2 billion tank sale to Bahrain

The US State Department said on Tuesday March 19 that it had approved the sale worth $2.2 billion (around 2.02 billion euros) of combat tanks to Bahrain. According to a press release from American diplomacy, this sale concerns 50 Abrams M1A2 tanks, tanks among the heaviest in the world and specialized in ground warfare. Bahrain, a kingdom ruled by a Sunni dynasty, is a close ally of Washington in the Middle East. However, it was targeted by an American arms embargo following the repression of protest demonstrations led by Shiite parties, in the wake of the Arab Spring in 2011.

The US Congress can prevent this transaction by voting within thirty days, although this is generally not the case. This tank sale “will enhance Bahrain’s capabilities to respond to current and future threats by providing it with a credible deterrent and enabling it to participate in regional operations with the United States and other partner nations”declared American diplomacy in its press release.

The United States and Bahrain signed an agreement in September aimed at strengthening security and economic ties between them and providing in particular for the sharing of intelligence and scientific exchanges. Bahrain, whose relations with Iran are notoriously tense, is also the only Arab state to participate in the coalition led by the United States and the United Kingdom against the attacks carried out for several months by the Houthi rebels in Yemen targeting international maritime traffic off this country.