Article snippet: The Trump administration has invoked an emergency provision of the law governing arms sales to immediately sell Saudi Arabia and other Gulf allies weapons without congressional approval, senators said Friday. The approval comes amid heightened tensions with Iran over what the administration has described as increased threats to U.S. interests in the region, and the senators indicated that Iran was used as justification for the emergency sale. The administration on Friday also announced the deployment of 1,500 U.S. troops to the Middle East to protect U.S. forces already there from Iran. The package Congress was notified of Friday is composed of more than 20 separate deals and is valued at $8.1 billion, a Senate staffer told The Hill. The weapons include precision guided munitions, others bombs and ammunition, and aircraft maintenance support, the staffer said. The arms are being sold to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, with the UAE then transferring some to Jordan, the staffer said. Late Friday afternoon, Secretary of State had warned earlier this week the administration was on the verge of using what they described as an “obscure loophole” in the Arms Export Control Act to finalize a long-stalled arms deal with Saudi Arabia. Friday’s formal notification drew immediate condemnation from top Democrats. In a four-paragraph statement, Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Sen. MORE (Conn.), the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations subpanel wit... Link to the full article to read more