U.S. approves over $16 billion in arms sales to Gulf states hit by Iran war

The United States on Thursday (March 19, 2026) announced the approval of $16.46 billion in military sales to the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, two Gulf states that have been hit hard by fallout from the Iran war.

Iran responded to the massive U.S.-Israeli air campaign launched late last month with barrages of missiles and drones that have caused deaths and damage in various Gulf countries, which have been forced to expend significant military resources to counter attacks.

Iran-Israel war updates on March 19, 2026

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has “determined and provided detailed justification that an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale” of the military equipment, thereby waiving the requirement that Congress give its approval.

The biggest single sale is of lower-tier air and missile defense sensor radars — which are designed to track high-speed targets and give data to a missile defense network — to Kuwait for $8 billion, according to a statement from the State Department.

The next largest was to the United Arab Emirates for a long-range discrimination radar — which tracks ballistic missile threats — and related equipment at a cost of $4.5 billion, the State Department said.

The UAE also received approval to buy systems designed to defeat small, unmanned aircraft for $2.1 billion, advanced air-to-air missiles for $1.22 billion, and F-16 warplane munitions and upgrades for $644 million.