President Donald Trump announced that the United States plans to sell F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia during a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House. Trump characterized Saudi Arabia as a strong ally and confirmed the sale of these advanced jets.
The meeting marks Crown Prince Mohammed’s first visit to the White House since the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, an event in which a U.S. intelligence assessment concluded that the crown prince had approved the operation. The prince has denied any involvement in the murder. Discussions during the meeting are expected to include defense agreements and civilian nuclear power initiatives.
Crown Prince Mohammed’s last visit occurred during Trump’s first term in 2018, coinciding with Khashoggi’s murder in Istanbul. Although former President Joe Biden criticized Saudi Arabia’s human rights record and did not meet with the crown prince, he visited the country in 2022 to discuss other matters, mentioning that he brought up Khashoggi’s case during that encounter.
In a previous meeting in Riyadh in May, Trump and the crown prince secured a defense sales agreement worth approximately $142 billion, described by the White House as the largest defense sales deal in history, making Saudi Arabia the largest purchaser of U.S. arms.
There are concerns among U.S. defense officials regarding the F-35 sale due to its advanced capabilities and the potential for Saudi Arabia to share the technology with China. Israeli officials have also expressed apprehension, suggesting that the deal could diminish Israel’s military advantage in the region, as it is currently the only Middle Eastern country with F-35s.
An F-35A jet is priced at approximately $82.5 million, according to Lockheed Martin. In addition to defense deals, Trump is anticipated to advocate for Saudi Arabia to sign the Abraham Accords and normalize relations with Israel, with the Saudis stating that such a move is contingent upon establishing a path to a Palestinian state, which the current Israeli administration opposes.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c7512rkvg7ro?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss