Trump confirms F-35 sale to Saudi Arabia ahead of Crown Prince’s visit

US President Donald Trump confirmed on Monday (November 17) that the United States will sell F-35 stealth fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, despite internal concerns about technology security.

“I will say that that we will be doing that,” Trump told reporters. “We’ll be selling F-35s.”

The announcement comes just before Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s first Washington visit in more than seven years.

Strategic investments and nuclear cooperation

Saudi Arabia is expected to unveil a multibillion-dollar investment in US artificial intelligence infrastructure. Both nations are also preparing to announce new cooperation in the civil nuclear energy sector, according to senior administration officials.

Concerns over Israel and China

Administration officials remain wary of upsetting Israel’s qualitative military edge in the region. There are also fears that advanced F-35 technology could be compromised through Saudi Arabia’s ties with China.

Bradley Bowman of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies warned: “Congress could press the administration to detail what assurances Riyadh has given the White House about its relationship with China.”

Push for Abraham Accords expansion

Trump linked the arms deal to his broader Middle East peace strategy, hoping Saudi Arabia will join the Abraham Accords.

“I hope that Saudi Arabia will be going into the Abraham Accords very shortly,” Trump said aboard Air Force One.

However, Saudi officials insist that progress toward a Palestinian state is a condition for normalization with Israel — a demand Israel strongly opposes.

Human rights shadow

The visit marks Crown Prince’s first trip to Washington since the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a killing US intelligence agencies concluded he likely approved. The Crown Prince denies involvement.