The Bush administration will announce this week a series of arms deals worth at least $20 billion to Saudi Arabia and five other oil-rich Persian Gulf states as well as new 10-year military aid packages to Israel and Egypt, a move to shore up allies in the Middle East and counter Iran’s rising influence, US officials said last week.

The arms deals, which include the sales of a variety of sophisticated weaponry, would be the largest negotiated by this administration. The military assistance agreements would provide $30 billion in new US aid to Israel and $13 billion to Egypt over 10 years, the officials said. Both figures represent significant increases in military support.

US officials said the arms sales to Saudi Arabia are expected to include air-to-air missiles as well as Joint Direct Attack Munitions, which turn standard bombs into “smart” precision-guided bombs. Most, but not all, of the arms sales to the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries — Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman — will be defensive, the officials said.

US officials said the common goal of the military aid packages and arms sales is to strengthen pro-Western countries against Iran at a time when the hard-line regime seeks to extend its power in the region.

“We’re paying attention to the needs of our allies and what everyone in the region believes is a flexing of muscles by a more aggressive Iran. One way to deal with that is to make our allies and friends strong,” said a senior administration official involved in the negotiations.

... contd.