Miffed Over China Tech Limiting, UAE Suspends Purchase Of U.S. F-35 Fighters

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has suspended a multi-billion dollar deal to buy US-made F-35 fighter jets, in a sign of Abu Dhabi's growing frustration with Washington's attempt to limit Chinese technology sales to the oil-rich Gulf state, Mostafa Salem, Jennifer Hansler and Celine Alkhaldi reported for CNN.

Photo Insert: The sale of F-35 fighter jets has been grounded indefinitely

"The UAE has informed the US that it will suspend discussions to acquire the F-35," an Emirati official told CNN.

"Technical requirements, sovereign operational restrictions, and cost/benefit analysis led to the re-assessment... The UAE and US were working toward an understanding that would address mutual defense security conditions for the acquisition," the official added.

"The US remains the UAE's preferred provider for advanced defense requirements and discussions for the F-35 may be re-opened in the future."

The US State Department said the White House remained "committed" to the deal, which was seen as a cornerstone of an August 2020 agreement to normalize diplomatic relations between the UAE and Israel.

The sale -- which would involve the most advanced US weaponry ever transferred to an Arab state -- has been on a collision course since then, with US politicians raising concerns about the deal.

On Tuesday, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby also said that the US was willing to work with the UAE to address both countries' concerns. "The US partnership with the UAE is more strategic and more complex than any one weapons sale," Kirby said at a press gaggle.

"We will always insist, as a matter of statutory requirements and policy, on a variety of end-user requirements. That's typical. And these end-user requirements and protection of US defense equipment are universal, non-negotiable, and not specific to the UAE," he added.

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