BY MARCUS WEISGERBER
The U.S. State Department on Friday cleared Saudi Arabia to buy 360 THAAD interceptors that would be used to defend against missiles fired at the kingdom by Iran.
If the $15 billion sale goes through, it would be the largest export of the sophisticated missile defense system, which is built by Lockheed Martin. The approval comes amid reports that the Trump administration is preparing to decertify the Iran nuclear deal brokered by the Obama administration and other nations in 2015.
“This sale furthers U.S. national security and foreign policy interests, and supports the long-term security of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region in the face of Iranian and other regional threats,” the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, the arm of the Pentagon that oversees foreign arms sales, said in a statement Friday. “This potential sale will substantially increase Saudi Arabia’s capability to defend itself against the growing ballistic missile threat in the region.”
http://www.defenseone.com/business/2017/10/iran-deal-jeopardy-us-clears-missile-interceptor-sale-saudi-arabia/141632/?oref=d-river
