US President Biden held a telephone call on 9 February with the king of Saudi Arabia, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

A press statement by the White House disclosed that during the call, Biden promised King Salman continued US support for the war on the Yemen.

“The President underscored the US commitment to support Saudi Arabia in the defense of its people and territory from these attacks and full support for UN-led efforts to end the war in Yemen,” read part of the press release. The White House also accused Iran of  “enabling” Yemen army attacks against civilian targets.

The US has consistently provided military and diplomatic support to the Saudi-led coalition throughout the seven years of siege on the region’s poorest nation.

On 3 February, the US defense department announced that US military contractors had received government approval to upgrade the missile systems of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The deal comes amid an increase in retaliatory missile and drone strikes by the Yemen armed forces on targets inside Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Riyadh and Abu Dhabi are the two most prominent members of the Saudi-led coalition that has been waging war against Yemen since 2015.

According to the United Nations, the war in Yemen has killed at least 233,000 people directly and indirectly due to an increase in the prevalence of diseases as a result of attacks on health facilities and the widespread shortage of food.

During campaigns for the 2020 US presidential elections, Biden condemned the Trump administration for supporting the Saudi-led coalition aggression in Yemen.

Biden also promised to end all forms of US support to the coalition once in office. However, after his election as president, Biden reneged on his promises and continued with the same Trump-era policies that have enabled the brutal attacks on the people of Yemen.