Following Tuesday’s meeting between US President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the White House announced that the two leaders finalized a sweeping series of agreements that significantly deepen the US-Saudi strategic partnership.
According to the announcement, the deals span defense, energy, technology, and trade, and are expected to generate high-paying American jobs, reinforce critical supply chains, and bolster regional security.
Building on the $600 billion in Saudi investment commitments secured during Trump’s May visit to Riyadh, the Crown Prince announced an expansion of those commitments to nearly $1 trillion. The new investments will flow into US infrastructure, industry, and innovation, marking a major vote of confidence in American leadership, the White House said.
Among the key achievements: A Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement which lays the groundwork for a decades-long, multi-billion-dollar partnership in nuclear energy, a Critical Minerals Framework which aligns national strategies to diversify supply chains for essential resources, and a Memorandum of Understanding on Artificial Intelligence grants Saudi Arabia access to leading US systems while safeguarding American technological dominance.
Defense cooperation also took center stage. Trump and bin Salman signed the US-Saudi Strategic Defense Agreement, reinforcing an 80-year partnership and enhancing deterrence across the Middle East. The agreement facilitates US defense industry operations in the Kingdom and secures burden-sharing funds to offset American costs.
As part of the defense package, Trump approved “future F-35 fighter jet deliveries to Saudi Arabia,” the White House stated, strengthening the US defense industrial base and ensuring continued Saudi reliance on American military technology. The Kingdom will also purchase nearly 300 American-made tanks, supporting domestic manufacturing and defense jobs.
During the meeting with the Saudi Crown Prince, Trump was asked if the F-35s that will be sold to Saudi Arabia will be the same as those used by Israel and responded, "I think they will be pretty similar, yeah."
Trump added that Saudi Arabia "is a great ally, and Israel is a great ally. I know they'd [Israel] want you to get planes of reduced caliber. I don't think that makes you too happy."
He added that he believes both Israel and Saudi Arabia "are at a level where they should get top-of-the-line" aircraft.
Trump said that "Israel is aware and they're going to be very happy" with the result of the deal to sell F-35s to Saudi Arabia.
Ynet reported earlier that the IDF sent a professional document at the beginning of the week to the political echelon containing warnings against the American agreement to sell F-35 stealth fighter jets to Saudi Arabia
The document reportedly emphasizes the importance of Israel's air superiority in the Middle East, which could be significantly set back if other countries were to acquire the fighter or other advanced aircraft, due to their extraordinary capabilities, which give Israel an edge over other countries in the region.
Outgoing Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer visited Washington last week, where he met with senior Trump administration officials and reportedly made clear that Israel fears that the F-35 sale could lead to the leak of sensitive security information to Russia and China, Saudi Arabia’s strategic partners, and could also undermine Israel’s qualitative aerial edge in the Middle East.