Special to WorldTribune.com

WASHINGTON — The United States could slow down approval of weapons sales to the Middle East due to tensions between the Obama administration and Congress.

Officials said new legislation passed by Congress would require the administration of President Barack Obama to explain how U.S. arms sales would change the balance of power in the Middle East.

The need for a monitoring system was said to have been intensified by the offensive by Islamic State of Iraq and Levant in June 2014. Officials acknowledged that Baghdad was to have deployed the first of 36 F-16 Block 52+ multi-role fighters in areas captured by ISIL.

“Can you imagine the repercussions of ISIL walking off with the Block 52 and then offering it to our adversaries?” a House aide asked.

House and Senate leaders have long expressed frustration over the administration’s refusal to explain major arms sales to Middle East states. They have also complained of the automatic determination by the Defense Department that multi-billion-dollar sales to such tiny countries as Qatar would not change the military balance in the region.

Under the bill, expected to be signed into law by Obama, Congress could request a 30-day notification of arms shipments even after approval. The legislation was meant to permit House and Senate leaders to question and perhaps block weapons deliveries to countries deemed unstable, particularly Iraq. The bill applies to the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program rather than commercial deals, increasingly used by Gulf Cooperation Council states.

“It will certainly hurt our promise to speed up the defense procurement process,” an official said.

Officials said the administration would have to prove that U.S. weapons to Arab states would not harm the so-called “qualitative military edge” of Israel.

Officials said the Pentagon and State Department were considering drafting a new monitoring regime in 2015. They said the legislation could also lead to closer coordination with Israel, given U.S. guarantees to maintain strategic superiority over its neighbors.

“There are many question marks as to how this will play out,” the official said. “In the end, it will come down to how the law is interpreted and the level of enforcement.”

  Congress checks administration’s impact on Mideast balance of power after ISIL surge, WorldTribune.com