US Approves $25.8 Bln Middle East Arms Deals

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has approved a major package of weapons sales worth $25.8 billion for several Middle Eastern countries, including hundreds of advanced air defense interceptors, according to reports.

The deals cover Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, and Israel, and were authorized on an emergency basis on May 1, a State Department spokesperson confirmed, as cited by Bloomberg. A congressional aide also confirmed lawmakers were notified of the decision.

The approved figure is more than three times higher than the $8.6 billion previously announced by the US administration last week, with officials explaining the discrepancy as regulatory adjustments to existing authorizations rather than entirely new agreements.

The updated total is expected to be formally entered into the US congressional record when lawmakers return next week, Bloomberg reported.

The package reflects Washington’s continued military commitment to its regional allies, many of whom have faced Iranian-linked attacks amid heightened tensions following the escalation of conflict involving the US, Israel, and Tehran since late February.

However, concerns remain over delivery timelines, as defense production constraints and existing backlogs could delay shipment for years. The emergency approval also bypasses standard congressional review periods of 15 days for Israel and 30 days for other nations.

Former Pentagon official and American Enterprise Institute researcher Ellen McCusker said accelerated delivery would only be possible if systems were drawn from existing stockpiles, warning that many of the weapons are unlikely to be available for current conflicts.

Gulf states are seeking large quantities of high-demand missile defense systems, including Patriot Guidance Enhanced Missiles (GEM-T) and PAC-3 MSE interceptors.

Reported procurement plans include 600 PAC-3 MSE missiles for the UAE, 500 for Kuwait, 300 for Qatar, and 50 for Bahrain. Lockheed Martin is expected to produce around 650 units in 2026, most of which are already allocated.

For GEM-T missiles, Bahrain may receive up to 150, Kuwait 500, Qatar 200, and the UAE 150, exceeding RTX Corp’s annual production target of 300 units.

Analysts warn that new priority orders could further strain supply chains and delay deliveries for other buyers in the global defense market. Both the US State Department and defense contractors declined to comment on delivery schedules.