The United States will commit at least $6 billion to boost Jordan’s security, increasing its aid to a key ally in the tumultuous Middle East, Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi said at the joint press conference with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
The agreement will boost the US’s contribution by nearly $1.4 billion over five years and follows a threat by President Donald Trump to cut aid to Jordan that opposed America’s move to declare Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
The memorandum of understanding will provide Jordan with $1.275 billion in US aid annually until 2022. That's $275 million more per year than the current level. The annual amount includes $750 million in economic aid that will support Jordanian reform efforts and $350 million in military assistance.
Both Tillerson and al-Safadi acknowledged the disagreements but said the end goal of both countries remains the same. "We have different views on Jerusalem but we share a commitment to peace," ABC news cited al-Safadi as saying.
