US Approves $5b in Military Equipment Sales to Egypt

Photo Credit: Wikimedia / Stahlkocher

Lockheed Martin Hellfire missile. (illustrative)

The US on Friday approved the sale of more than five billion dollars in military equipment for Egypt.

The sale “will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a Major Non-NATO Ally country that continues to be an important strategic partner in the Middle East,” the State Department said in a statement.

The US State Department notified Congress that it had approved the sale of equipment for 555 US-made A1M1 Abrams tanks for $4.69 billion, 2,183 Hellfire air-to-ground missiles for $630 million, and guided munitions for $30 million.

Theoretically, Congress could block the sale but it’s not likely to do so, as a presidential veto could override the move.

Providing Cairo with advanced weapons that could possibly be used in a conflict against Israel has caused concern among some Israeli officials. The Egyptian government has drawn closer to Iran, Russia and China in recent years.

Egypt and Iran
Cairo and Tehran severed ties in 1979 after the Islamic Revolution in Iran, partially resuming relations 11 years later. However, once Saudi Arabia restored its relations with Iran, Cairo also engaged in multiple rounds of talks with Tehran in 2023 aimed at restoring political and diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The two countries have stepped up their diplomatic contacts since the start of the war Hamas launched against Israel on October 7, 2023.

Last week, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in Cairo for the first such visit by an Iranian president in more than a decade, ostensibly to attend the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation summit. Needless to say, the Iranian president also made sure to meet on the sidelines with Egyptian officials.

Egypt and Russia
Cairo has meanwhile significantly deepened its ties with Moscow; in 2018 the two nations signed an agreement that upgraded relations on strategic military, security, trade and economic cooperation, effective 2021. Egypt sourced 60 percent of its arms acquisitions from Russia between 2014 to 2017, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Russia has also invested in several Egyptian infrastructure projects, including a $28.5 billion nuclear power plant financed mostly through a Russian loan, and the Russian Industrial Zone in East Port Said.

Most of Egypt’s wheat is imported from Russia and Ukraine as well.

Egypt and China
Cairo has also gradually tightened its ties with China, another partner in the Russia-China- Iran-North Korea axis. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi met with Chinese President Xi Jinping during an official state visit to Beijing this past May.

Xi told el-Sisi that China is ready to work with Egypt to tap the potential of cooperation in traditional areas such as infrastructure, industry, electricity and agriculture, explore cooperation in emerging areas such as health care, information and communications, and renewable energy, deepen economic, trade and investment cooperation, and encourage more Chinese enterprises to invest and do business in Egypt.

Egypt and China signed two agreements this past October to enhance bilateral relations, particularly on cooperation in tourism and antiquities, and discussed future cooperation.

Egypt and Israel
While Cairo has not terminated its peace treaty with the Jewish State, the so-called “peace” that resulted was cold from the start, and grew even more frigid in recent years.

Egypt has also acted against Israel while protecting Hamas during its partnership with the United States and Qatar in brokering hostage release and ceasefire talks between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas terrorist organization.

Cairo refused to allow Gazans to enter Egypt via the Rafah crossing after Israel began military operations aimed at eliminating Hamas, which has repeatedly threatened Israel’s existence.

Hamas slaughtered at least 1,200 people during its invasion of southern Israel on October 7, 2023, while kidnapping 251 others, and pledged to continue such efforts until the Jewish State was obliterated.

Around 100 Israeli, American and other foreign hostages are still being held in Gaza by the terrorists.