IRIA News

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U.S. President Donald Trump formally confirmed the sale of F-35 advanced fighter jets to Saudi Arabia during Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s high-profile visit to Washington on November 18, 2025.

The visit, which included a lavish welcome ceremony, detailed policy discussions, and a black-tie dinner, underscored the deepening strategic, economic, and political ties between the two countries.

The White House described the meeting as a milestone in an alliance that has spanned more than eight decades. For the Saudis, the trip delivered long-sought security upgrades, including the F-35 approval, a new major defense pact, and a historic recognition by the United States, granting Saudi Arabia the status of a “major non-NATO ally.”

Red Carpet Welcome at the White House

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, widely known as MBS, arrived at the White House to an opulent reception that featured marching bands, ceremonial horsemen carrying American and Saudi flags, and a military flyover. The White House rolled out the red carpet as Trump greeted the Saudi leader at the South Portico before escorting him inside for talks.

The elaborate welcome reflected the administration’s broader effort to strengthen ties with Gulf partners and promote a regional order driven by investment, defense cooperation, and joint strategic planning. Trump has repeatedly emphasized that Saudi Arabia is central to his Middle East initiatives.

After the welcoming ceremony, the two leaders held a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office, where they discussed defense cooperation, artificial intelligence, technology, regional stability, and economic partnerships.

F-35 Deal and Longstanding Saudi Request

Trump confirmed during the joint appearance that the United States would approve the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Riyadh, ending years of hesitation in Washington. “I will say that we will be doing that,” he said earlier this week. “We’ll be selling F-35s.”

Saudi Arabia has pursued the F-35 for years as part of its modernization agenda. The kingdom currently operates F-15s, Tornados, and Typhoons, but the F-35’s stealth, surveillance, and strike capabilities would mark a major leap. A Saudi request for as many as 48 aircraft, two full squadrons, has already cleared an initial Pentagon review.

During their meeting, Trump assured MBS that the Kingdom would receive the full-strength version of the aircraft. “They’d like you to get planes of reduced caliber. I don’t think that makes you too happy,” he told the crown prince.

“They’ve been a great ally. Israel has been a great ally, and we’re looking at that exactly right now. But as far as I’m concerned, I think they are both at a level where they should get top of the line.”

The remark signaled a rare departure from Washington’s traditional policy of guaranteeing Israel’s “qualitative military edge” in the region. Israel is currently the only Middle Eastern country operating the F-35.

Saudi Arabia as a Major Non-NATO Ally

At the black-tie dinner held later in the evening, Trump announced that the United States had formally designated Saudi Arabia as a “major non-NATO ally” (MNNA), a status that enables expedited access to U.S. defense equipment, joint training, and advanced technology cooperation.

The MNNA designation places Saudi Arabia alongside 19 other nations, including Japan, South Korea, Israel, and Qatar, and marks one of the most significant upgrades in U.S.-Saudi defense relations in decades.

The White House also confirmed that Trump and MBS signed a new strategic defense agreement “that strengthens our more than 80-year defense partnership and fortifies deterrence across the Middle East.” While details remain limited, the agreement includes new Saudi financial contributions to defray U.S. military costs, as well as an affirmation that Riyadh views the United States as its “primary strategic partner.”

The announcement followed weeks of regional anxiety after Israel’s September attack on Qatar, which raised questions about U.S. reliability among Gulf allies. The new agreement appears intended to reaffirm Washington’s long-term security commitments to Riyadh.

Saudi-Israel Normalization Efforts

The meeting also addressed the possibility of Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords. Trump said he had “good talks” with the crown prince on the issue, though no timeline was given.

Prince Mohammed reiterated that any normalization requires a clear path toward Palestinian statehood. “We believe having a good relationship with all Middle Eastern countries is a good thing, and we want to be part of the Abraham Accords,” he told reporters. “But we also want to be sure that we secure a clear path [to a] two-state solution.”

He added: “And today we have a healthy discussion with Mr. President that we’ve got to work on that, to be sure that we can prepare the right situation as soon as possible to have that.”

Saudi officials have long emphasized that Riyadh remains committed to the Arab Peace Initiative, which conditions recognition of Israel on the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Talks on Iran and a Possible US-Iran Deal

Iran featured prominently in the discussions. Trump referenced the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June. “We did that on behalf of everybody,” he said. “We have the best pilots, the best equipment, the best planes, the best everything.”

Despite his harsh rhetoric, Trump also adopted a softer tone, suggesting diplomacy could be possible. “I am totally open to it, and we’re talking to them,” he said. “And we start a process. But it would be a nice thing to have a deal with Iran. And we could have done it before the war, but that didn’t work out. And something will happen there, I think.”

Saudi Arabia, according to MBS, would support a revived U.S.-Iran agreement. “We will do our best to help reach a deal between the United States of America and Iran,” he said. “And we believe it’s good for Iran’s future to have a good deal that would satisfy the region and the world and the United States of America.”

Saudi state media previously reported that MBS received a handwritten letter from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian ahead of his U.S. trip, though the contents remain undisclosed.

Massive Investment Commitments

Economic cooperation formed a major part of the public statements. Trump thanked MBS for planned Saudi investments in the United States, saying, “I want to thank you because you’ve agreed to invest $600 billion into the United States. And because he’s my friend, he might make it $1 trillion, but I’m going to have to work on him.”

MBS responded that Saudi investment would likely rise to the trillion-dollar mark. “The agreement that we are signing today in many areas, in technology and AI, in rare materials, magnet, that will create a lot of investment opportunities,” he said.

He added that the kingdom wants to be part of the “foundation of emerging technologies” in the U.S., calling America the “hottest country” in the world for investment.

Praise, Personal Warmth, and Political Tensions

The meeting was marked by unusually warm public exchanges. Trump called the crown prince “fantastic” and “brilliant,” adding, “We have an extremely respected man in the Oval Office today, and a friend of mine for a long time, very good friend of mine.”

He also held MBS’s hand during the Oval Office appearance, a gesture he contrasted with former President Joe Biden’s fist-bump greeting to MBS in 2021. “I grabbed that hand. I don’t give a hell where that hand’s been,” Trump said.

The U.S. president clashed with news reporters who questioned the crown prince about his involvement in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Trump accused a media reporter of disrespecting his guest by asking such questions.

When a reporter later asked Trump about the release of files related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Trump responded: “You’re a terrible person and a terrible reporter.” The exchange came just as the House of Representatives passed a bill demanding the release of the Epstein documents.

The crown prince’s first visit to Washington in years marks a significant recalibration of U.S.-Saudi ties. For the U.S., the visit reinforced a strategic partnership at a time of shifting regional dynamics.

For Riyadh, it secured long-sought military capabilities and political assurances. The coming months will determine how quickly the F-35 sale moves through Congress and how the broader agreements reshape the Middle East’s security landscape.