Starting fires paying off

US plans massive arms sale to Saudi to counter Iran threat AFP - Tuesday, September 14SendIM StoryPrint. US plans massive arms sale to Saudi to counter Iran threat WASHINGTON (AFP) - – The United States plans to offer Saudi Arabia 60 billion dollars' worth of hi-tech fighters and helicopters to help counter the threat posed by Iran, in the largest ever US arms deal, officials said Monday. A senior defense official said President Barack Obama's administration would formally notify Congress this week or next about the groundbreaking deal, which follows months of talks with the Saudis, who are increasingly anxious about Iran's missile arsenal. "If you look at the kingdom, the major threat that they face in the region emanates from Iran," the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told reporters. "And this gives them a whole host of defensive capabilities to defend the kingdom and deterrence capabilities.".... The above news will bring comfort to the American arms merchants. After years of inciting tension and wars in the Middle East, it is bearing fruits. The Arabs are divided and poised to attack each other and buying arms is an indispensable alternative. This is a US$60b deal. Finally the Arabs have an avenue to spend their old money. Who says starting war is not a profitable business? Next big buyers on the list are Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and Asean states.