Donald Trump signs Qatar arms deal

US President agrees $12bn deal with country he previously dubbed a 'high-level' funder of terrorism

f-15 jet us
(Image credit: Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images)

The US has signed a $12bn (£9.4bn) arms deal with Qatar, despite Donald Trump's claim that the country is a "high-level funder" of terrorism.

The agreement to supply dozens of F-15 jets to the Gulf state "is the latest twist in the highly contradictory US diplomacy over the crisis around Qatar", says The Guardian. It "underlines the reigning confusion inside the Trump administration as it handles one of its first big foreign policy crises".

The emirate is facing the second week of severe economic and diplomatic sanctions, led by Saudi Arabia and its regional allies, over accusations it funds terrorist groups, a charge Qatar denies.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
See more

The deal is going ahead despite the US President's condemnation of Qatar last week, when he also appeared to take partial credit for the blockade.

A statement to CNN from the Pentagon says the agreement will "increase security cooperation and interoperability between the United States and Qatar".

"Our militaries are like brothers. America's support for Qatar is deep-rooted and not easily influenced by political changes," a Qatari official said.

Qatar is home to the largest US military base in the Middle East and the deal "reaffirms the traditionally close ties between the two countries", says Vice News.

However, it will be a "cause of concern" for Washington's other allies in the region, most notably Saudi Arabia, which led the push to cut diplomatic ties with Qatar.

Continue reading for free

We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.

Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.