Intel: UAE suspends F-35 talks over US security demands
Emirati officials head to the Pentagon on Wednesday for two days of strategic talks with Washington.
The United Arab Emirates has suspended negotiations with the United States over a planned purchase of up to 50 F-35 stealth fighter jets and MQ-9B Reaper drones over Washington’s conditions for securing the technology.
The threat to cancel the deal was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. “Technical requirements, sovereign operational restrictions and cost/benefit analysis led to the reassessment,” an Emirati official told Reuters on Tuesday.
“The US remains the UAE’s preferred provider for advanced defense requirements, and discussions for the F-35 may be reopened in the future,” a statement by the UAE Embassy in Washington read.
Why It Matters: Abu Dhabi appears to be driving a hard bargain ahead of talks scheduled for tomorrow with US officials at the Pentagon.
