Islam Times - UAE Will Suspend Talks on F-35 Jets, Says Emirati Official

Islam Times - An Emirati official said Abu Dhabi had informed the US of the decision to suspend the $23bn deal to buy up to 50 F-35 fighter jets and other weapons.

An Emirati official said Abu Dhabi had informed the US that “technical requirements, sovereign operational restrictions and cost-benefit analysis led to the reassessment”.

The sale of the F-35s was initially agreed on last year by the Trump administration after the UAE signed an accord to normalize relations with Israel. But the deal has come under mounting scrutiny since President Joe Biden took office.

Abu Dhabi has raised concerns about the restrictions Washington is seeking to put on the use of the F-35 warplanes.

The Biden administration meanwhile has been worried that the UAE’s use of Huawei’s 5G technology raises the risk that sensitive information could be leaked to Beijing.

Washington has been putting pressure on the UAE to reduce its exposure to Chinese telecoms technology. General Kenneth F McKenzie, commander of the US central command, said this year that he was concerned about the risk of technology transfer.

He added that the US was “working hard both internally within the United States and with our UAE partners to ensure that’s resolved satisfactorily”.