US State Department cites emergency circumstances to fast-track sales without the approval of Congress.

The United States has approved $8.6bn in arms sales to Middle Eastern allies amid the US-Israel war on Iran.

The sales come after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio cited emergency circumstances to fast-track the transfers without prior review by the US Congress.

Recommended Stories

list of 3 items list 1 of 3 Poll finds 61 percent of Americans believe attacking Iran was a mistake

list 2 of 3 Iran war: What’s happening on day 64 as Trump rejects Tehran’s proposal

list 3 of 3 NATO assessing details of US troop withdrawal from Germany

end of list

Israel and the Gulf states have faced a barrage of missile and drone attacks from Iran since the start of the war in late February, draining their stockpiles of US weapons and straining their air defence systems.

The sales include the transfer of an advanced precision kill weapon system (APKWS) and related equipment to Israel for $992m, and the purchase of…