The newspaper "Welt am Sonntag" reported on Saturday that the "German coalition government is divided over whether to yield to British pressure and approve the production of Eurofighter Typhoon jets for Saudi Arabia." Riyadh signed a deal with BAE Systems five years ago to supply 48 of these aircraft, but the deal was suspended due to the war in Yemen, in which Saudi-led forces intervened in 2015.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz from the left-leaning Social Democratic Party and Finance Minister Christian Lindner lean towards allowing exports, while the Greens Party and some members of the Social Democratic Party strongly oppose this step, according to the report.
Germany suspended arms sales to Riyadh following the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 and has adopted a much stricter approach compared to key allies like the United States, France, and Britain. Since the rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the British have stated that "Germany cannot prevent the export of Eurofighters to third parties."
