WASHINGTON, July 24 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday vetoed congressional resolutions that intend to block the Trump administration's efforts to sell weapons to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The White House released Trump's veto decision on the three resolutions on Wednesday evening, noting that the resolutions will "weaken America's global competitiveness" and damage the country's relationships with allies and partners.

It was the third time that Trump used his veto pen.

The U.S. House of Representatives approved the resolutions one week ago, after the Senate greenlighted them in June.

Neither chamber is expected to gain the votes needed to override the vetoes.

Citing the humanitarian crisis in the Yemeni conflict and the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the U.S. Congress has put on hold the pending arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

The Trump administration announced in May that it would invoke the "emergency" provision of the Arms Export Control Act to complete the 8.1-billion-U.S.-dollar arms sales to the U.S. regional partners to deter Iranian threats.