The White House has blocked the transfer of precision munitions to ally Saudi Arabia, amid anger about the civilian death toll from the kingdom’s bombing campaign in Yemen.
“We have made clear that U.S. security cooperation is not a blank check,” a senior administration official told AFP, voicing concerns about how Riyadh is prosecuting its war against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.
“Consequently, we have decided to not move forward with some foreign military sales [FMS] cases for munitions.”
“This reflects our continued, strong concerns with the flaws in the coalition’s targeting practices and overall prosecution of the air campaign in Yemen.”
Other U.S. officials confirmed the proposed sale was of precision guided munitions made by U.S. firm Raytheon.
Raytheon declined to comment.
The decision brings a simmering division between the already troubled allies into public.
The White House has long struggled to balance its unease over the prosecution of the Saudi campaign and risking a broader feud with a key Middle Eastern partner.
The campaign has been closely linked to young Prince Mohammad bin Salman, who has rapidly emerged as a leading player in Riyadh.
The war in Yemen has also coincided with the Obama administration’s assiduous courting of Saudi support for the nuclear deal with Iran.
Since then, ties have been further strained by Congress’s recent passage of a bill allowing 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia.
Obama vetoed the bill, only to have his veto overridden for the first time in his presidency.
But the tipping point for Washington’s ire over Yemen appears to have been an October attack on a Yemeni funeral home that killed more than 140 people.
After that attack the U.S. announced a review to ensure “support for the Saudi-led Coalition is consistent with our foreign policy goals and values.”
A United Nations panel has since found that “double-tap” strike was a violation of international humanitarian law.