State Department approves possible sale of Patriot missiles to Saudi Arabia

Battery of US «Patriot» air defense missiles. File photoWASHINGTON, Aug 2 The US State Department has approved a possible deal to sell more than $3 billion worth of Patriot missiles and related equipment to Saudi Arabia, the US Defense Cooperation Agency said. «The State Department issued a determination … approving the possible sale to the Saudi government of the PATRIOT MIM-104E Advanced Tactical Ballistic Missiles and related equipment at a cost of approximately $3.05 billion,» the agency said in a statement. , operating in the structure of the Pentagon, sent a notification to Congress. The military assured that the sale will not adversely affect the combat readiness of the US military.