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'A prudent first step': State Department reviewing UAE, Saudi arms sales

The administration has suspended major foreign arms sales in what the State Department characterized as a routine decision.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken addresses reporters during his first press briefing at the State Department in Washington, DC, on January 27, 2021. (Photo by CARLOS BARRIA / POOL / AFP) (Photo by CARLOS BARRIA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

The Biden administration is reviewing billions of dollars in planned arms sales, including deals with the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, that were pushed through by the Trump administration in its final months. 

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday declined to comment directly on the paused sales, but described such reviews as routine for any new administration.

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