State Department Pauses Certain Arms Sales for Review

The U.S. placed a temporary freeze on certain pending arms sales made under the State Department’s Foreign Military Sales and Direct Commercial Sales programs, according to a Jan. 27 Reuters report. The review includes a freeze on arms sales to Saudi Arabia, according to The Wall Street Journal, which added that the new administration is also “scrutinizing” recent purchases made by the United Arab Emirates. The State Department didn’t comment.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the agency is making sure it has a “full understanding of any commitments that may have been made” by the previous administration. “When it comes to arms sales, it is typical at the start of an administration to review ... any pending sales,” he said Jan. 27. “So that’s ... what we’re doing at this moment.”