The Bush administration is planning to sell the United Arab Emirates an advanced US missile defence system valued at up to $7 billion that could be used to defend against Iran, people who have attended briefings on the matter said on Monday.
The Pentagon is set to notify the US Congress of the proposed sale, which would be the first of the so-called Terminal High Altitude Area Defence, or THAAD, several people familiar with the matter said. THAAD is built by Lockheed Martin Corp Raytheon Co supplies the system's radar. Once notified of such a proposed arms sale by the administration, Congress has 30 days to review it but almost never blocks.