HONOLULU – Fortifying one of its key allies in the Persian Gulf, the Obama administration has announced a weapons deal with Saudi Arabia, saying it had agreed to sell F-15 fighter jets valued at nearly $30bn to the Royal Saudi Air Force.
The agreement, and the administration’s plans to press ahead with a nearly $11 billion arms deal for Iraq, despite rising political tensions there, testifies to its determination to project US military influence in an oil- rich region shadowed by a threat from Iran. – (
New York Times
service)
