US arms sales hit record levels

US weapons sales hit a record high in 2011, according to a congressional report.

The country sold $66bn worth of arms last year, tripling the number it sold in 2010. The previous record was $31bn in 2009.

The report said that the sales were driven by countries in the Gulf region, where tension centred around potential military action against Iran has been building.

The biggest customer for the US arms industry was Saudi Arabia, according to the report.

All in all, the US sold 78 per cent of the world's arms in 2011. Russia was a distant second, with $4.8bn in arms sales.

Al Jazeera speaks to Richard Weitz, the director for the Centre for Political-Military Analysis at the Hudson Institute in Washington DC, about the significance of the latest revelations.