Germany again approves arms exports to Saudi Arabia

The German government has approved arms exports to Saudi Arabia at the end of 2023, a decision made for the first time since 2018, executive spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said this Wednesday.

At the end of last year, the supply of remotely controlled air-to-air missiles of the Iris T type was approved, as follows from a message from the Ministry of Economy to the Economic Affairs Committee of the Bundestag (lower house of parliament), according to Der Spiegel magazine.

According to this report, manufacturer Diehl Defense will be able to send these weapons to Riyadh following an agreement reached just before Christmas between German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and several ministers.

In November 2018, Berlin ordered a halt to arms exports to Saudi Arabia, blaming the country for its involvement in the Yemeni civil war and the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Excluded from this rule were weapons components created as part of cooperation projects with other partners, including Eurofighters built by the British company BAE.

Saudi Arabia currently has 72 fighters of this type, which can now be armed with Iris T missiles.

The return to arms exports to Saudi Arabia represents a reversal of the hardline policy pursued by Berlin, which has drawn criticism from human rights groups.

However, the German government believes that Saudi Arabia is working towards a diplomatic solution to the Yemen conflict.

Last Sunday, German Foreign Minister Annalena Bärbock said during a trip to the Middle East that Germany is open to the possibility of sending 48 Eurofighters to Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia is blocking missiles fired from Yemen by Yemen’s Houthi rebels against Israel in a bid to reduce the likelihood of an escalation in the region, according to the German government.