MOSCOW (Sputnik), Svetlana Alexandrova – Last week, Washington announced it will deliver eight F-16 Block 52 aircraft to Cairo and approved a possible $5.4 billion military sale of advanced Patriot missiles to Riyadh.
"It is about controlling the region and, within this context, Iran is very important, as it helps the United States to increase their arms sales and to extend their reach in the region," member of Turkish parliament Mehmet Gunal said.
Gunal posited that Washington, as a main weapons supplier in the region, needs conflicts to expand its defense cooperation in the Middle East, taking advantage of Arab suspicions of Iran.
Arab allies of the US have sought to bolster their ballistic missile capabilities and anti-ballistic missile defense amid concerns over the Iranian nuclear agreement and Tehran’s activities in the region.
In May, when the US and Gulf Arab countries agreed to expand defense cooperation, the Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency also announced the sale of $1.87 billion in weapons and precision guidance kits to Israel.
Former Israeli official Yakov Kedmi told Sputnik in May that this deal is only the first stage, noting that the Iran nuclear accord ensured that surrounding countries – from Turkey to Saudi Arabia – will also start purchasing weapons.
Kedmi stressed that, following this strategy, the US not only helps its industry, but receives extra profits as each weapons unit requires annual maintenance valued at 10 percent of its purchase value.
