Saudi Arabia is now the world's biggest arms importer, surpassing the record of India, which was the world's biggest importer of arms in 2013.

Saudi's new record comes as concerns about Iran's military ambitions raise tensions in the Middle East.

Saudi's purchase of weapons rose by 54 percent to $6.5 billion in 2014. The figure is based on the data gathered by HIS, a leading analyst of global arms trade.

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This year, Saudi will once again import arms by 52 percent to $9.8 billion.

"This is definitely unprecedented. You're seeing political fractures across the region. And at the same time, you've got oil, which allows countries to arm themselves, protect themselves and impose their will as to how they think the region should develop," said HIS analyst Ben Moores.

David Cortright, director of policy studies at the University of Notre Dame's Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, noted that Saudi Arabia is building its arsenal, amid concern about the geo-political shift in the Middle East."

This comes, he said, as the United States looks for help in fighting the Islamic State group.

Iran is close to sealing a nuclear arms deal with the United States and some powerful western countries. Once a deal is reached, this is expected to to create new opportunities for economic development.

Analyst said the fresh ties between Iran and the United States could threaten the relationship between Saudi Arabia and the U.S.

Countries from the Middle East buy their weapons mostly from the United States.

The region imported $8.4 billion worth of arms shipment in 2014, up from $6 billion the previous year.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) imported a combined $8.7 billion worth of defense systems last year, exceeding the amount of imports made by all of Western Europe.

Cortright believes Saudi Arabia could be deliberately increasing its arms purchase to remind the U.S. of its importance as an ally.

"Defense contracts translate into jobs that are critical to many communities," he said.

The HIS Global Defense Trade Report identifies Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon as the three biggest arms exporters last year.

The firms are all based in the United States.

India is the second biggest importer of defense materials last year, followed by China, U.A.E., Taiwan, Australia, South Korea, Indonesia and Turkey.

Tagsmilitary weapons, Iran