(Washington, D.C.) U.S. President Donald Trump will meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and ahead of the meeting, he revealed that the U.S. will sell F-35 stealth fighter jets to Saudi Arabia.
Trump said on Monday (November 17) that Saudi Arabia is an important ally of the United States and confirmed that he would agree to the arms sale.
Reuters reported earlier this month that Saudi Arabia had requested to purchase up to 48 F-35 fighter jets, a deal worth billions of dollars. Saudi Arabia has sought to acquire the aircraft for years to modernize its air force and counter regional threats, particularly those from Iran.
The U.S. has historically only sold F-35s to its closest allies, including some European allies and Israel. A sale agreement with Saudi Arabia would represent a significant shift in U.S. policy, potentially altering the military balance in the Middle East and testing Washington's principle of maintaining Israel's military superiority.
However, U.S. officials revealed that in weighing arms sales to the Middle East, the U.S. will ensure that Israel maintains its "military superiority," allowing it access to more advanced weapons than other Arab countries.
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Former Israeli Air Force Commander Eliyahu also told Tel Aviv radio that the US may need at least four years to deliver the fighter jets, during which time Israel could maintain its battlefield advantage by purchasing new, advanced weapons from the US.
In addition, Trump will meet with Mohammed at the White House on Tuesday (18th), where they are expected to discuss the F-35 fighter jet deal, the US-Saudi defense agreement, and the normalization of Saudi-Israeli relations, as well as sign a framework agreement on civilian nuclear energy cooperation.
As one of the world's major oil producers, Saudi Arabia seeks to acquire advanced US technology through the 123 Agreement on civilian nuclear energy to promote energy diversification. However, such agreements are subject to strict non-proliferation regulations, and any complete agreement is likely to be subject to rigorous scrutiny by the US Congress.
Saudi Arabia has previously stated that it has no intention of developing nuclear weapons, but it has recently established a closer defense partnership with nuclear-armed Pakistan. Some US congressmen are cautious about deepening military cooperation with Saudi Arabia.
