The U.S. State Department has announced the resumption of offensive arms sales to Saudi Arabia, a decision that reverses a suspension initiated at the beginning of President Biden's term due to humanitarian concerns regarding the Yemen conflict.

This shift in policy comes as the U.S. aims to refocus its diplomatic efforts, highlighting Saudi Arabia's potential role in addressing the ongoing Gaza conflict.

The decision reflects a broader change in geopolitical considerations, as the Biden administration had previously committed to limiting arms sales to defensive weaponry only.

State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel praised Saudi Arabia for adhering to the terms of their agreement, indicating that the U.S. is ready to fulfill its commitments as well.

Patel emphasized that the process of lifting the arms sales freeze involved extensive diplomacy with Saudi Arabia and took considerable time.

Since the implementation of a U.N.-brokered truce in early 2022, there has been a significant reduction in hostilities, with no Saudi airstrikes in Yemen and decreased cross-border attacks.

The arms sales freeze was conditional upon Saudi Arabia's actions in Yemen, particularly improvements in civilian harm mitigation, which the country has reportedly made.

Despite the resumption of arms sales, concerns remain regarding Saudi Arabia's human rights record, with Representative Joaquin Castro calling for evidence of improved conduct.

In a related context, the U.S. has been in contact with European allies regarding Iran's plans to supply ballistic missiles to Russia, which could escalate tensions further.

Patel highlighted that any transfer of ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia would be viewed as a serious escalation of Iranian support for Russia's actions in Ukraine.

This decision to resume arms sales comes more than three years after the U.S. imposed limits on such sales due to human rights violations linked to Saudi airstrikes in Yemen.