This article talks about the US's impending weapons deal with Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. The 10 billion dollar deal includes the sale of KC-135 aerial refueling tankers, anti-air defence missiles and tilt-rotor V-22 Osprey troop transport planes to Israel as well as the sale of 25 F-16 Fighting Falcon jets to the UAE. The article states that Saudi Arabia and the UAE would also "be allowed to purchase weapons with so-called "standoff" capabilities that enable them to engage the enemy with precision at a distance."
US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel is quoted as saying this deal is meant to send a "very clear signal" to Iran. He goes on to say, "The bottom line is that Iran is a threat, a real threat. The Iranians must be prevented from developing that capacity to build a nuclear weapon and deliver it." The US hopes to achieve this goal by strengthening the militaries of Iran's rivals.
When asked about renewed debate in the Israeli media that Israel might have to strike Iran by itself, Hagel said "every sovereign nation has the right to defend itself."
Hagel later noted that the United States and other countries still wish to solve these issues through diplomatic means.
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