President Barack Obama determined that US restrictions on selling material for ballistic missile defense, maritime security and counter-terrorism operations should be lifted, opening the way to purchases by the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
The initiative was announced by US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.
“I hereby find that the furnishing of defense articles and defense services to the Gulf Cooperation Council will strengthen the security of the United States and promote world peace,” Obama said in a memorandum to Secretary of State John Kerry.
The move came amid increasing concerns among America’s Gulf allies about the perceived threat from the Iranian regime, and was seen in some circles as an attempt by Washington to assure Gulf States that it has not taken its eye of Tehran’s regional ambitions.