U.S. Approves Emergency Sale of 12,000 Bombs to Israel, Bypasses Congress as Gerald R. Ford Moves to Red Sea

The United States has approved an emergency sale of 12,000 1,000-pound bombs to Israel, bypassing the usual congressional review process as the war with Iran intensifies across the Middle East. The U.S. State Department said Secretary of State Marco Rubio invoked emergency authority under the Arms Export Control Act to allow the immediate transfer of the munitions, arguing that the sale serves American national security interests and strengthens Israel’s ability to counter regional threats. 

File Photo: The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group; Via US Central Command

The package, valued at about $151.8 million, includes thousands of BLU-110 general-purpose bomb bodies along with engineering, logistical and technical support services. U.S. officials said the weapons would improve Israel’s capability to confront current and future threats and reinforce its homeland defense, though the notice sent to Congress did not specify where the bombs would be deployed. 

The decision drew scrutiny from some lawmakers who questioned the administration’s use of emergency authority to bypass congressional oversight. 

The arms approval came as President Donald Trump defended the ongoing military campaign, telling reporters that U.S. actions in Iran ranked “a 12 to 15” on a scale of ten. He said the United States had been forced to act and indicated the administration would expand weapons production to sustain the conflict. 

Trump said major defense manufacturers had agreed to quadruple output of advanced “exquisite” weapons, a term typically used for high-value systems such as hypersonic missiles and advanced interceptors, while also increasing production of more conventional bombs and munitions currently being used in the war.

At the same time, the U.S. military has been repositioning forces in the region. The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford moved from the eastern Mediterranean into the Red Sea after transiting the Suez Canal, according to Pentagon imagery. 

The carrier strike group had initially been deployed from the Caribbean ahead of the conflict and is now operating closer to the Gulf theatre as American and Israeli operations against Iranian targets continue.

Washington’s latest moves indicate preparations for a potentially prolonged campaign against Iran and its allied networks across the Middle East.