The US has approved over $16 billion in emergency arms sales to the UAE and Kuwait to bolster their defences against Iranian missile and drone attacks.

WASHINGTON: The United States has approved over USD 16 billion in emergency military sales to two Gulf states impacted by the ongoing conflict with Iran.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined an emergency exists requiring the immediate sale of the equipment to the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.

This determination waives the usual requirement for congressional approval for such arms transfers.

The largest single sale involves USD 8 billion worth of lower-tier air and missile defence sensor radars for Kuwait.

These radars are designed to track high-speed targets and provide data to a missile defence network.

The United Arab Emirates will receive a long-range discrimination radar and related equipment for USD 4.5 billion.

This system is used to track ballistic missile threats.

The UAE also received approval for USD 2.1 billion in systems to defeat small unmanned aircraft.

Further approvals include USD 1.22 billion for advanced air-to-air missiles and USD 644 million for F-16 warplane munitions and upgrades.

The sales come as Gulf states face barrages of missiles and drones from Iran.

Iran launched these attacks in response to a massive US-Israeli air campaign that began last month.

The attacks have caused deaths, damage, and forced Gulf nations to expend significant military resources.

 The Sun Malaysia