Summary
Pieter Wezeman, a researcher with the Arms Transfer Program of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), told IPS that perceptions of Iran's intents and capabilities are certainly a major reason for the high military sales to several of the largest arms importers in the Middle East: Israel, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
In particular, Wezeman said, the Israeli procurement of 102 F-16I combat aircraft with long-range strike capabilities and related advanced weapons, all from the United States, have improved Israel's capacity to hit targets at long distances, including in Iran.Wezeman of SIPRI told IPS that deci' sion makers in countries in the region and in the arms supplying countries will have to consider carefully how a large flow of conventional arms will actually provide protection against any presumed aggressive intentions by Iran.See the full content of this document
Extract
Iranian Nuclear Threat Spurs Mideast Arms Sales
UNITED NATIONS - The United States, and most of the Western world, have transformed Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad into a virtual bogeyman, thereby spreading fear throughout the neighboring countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC): Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
A...See the full content of this document
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