Trump says US to sell F-35 jets to Saudi Arabia on eve of crown prince's US visit

On the eve of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman's arrival to the US, President Donald Trump announced on Monday his plan to sell US-made F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, a decision despite some concerns surrounding the sale from within the administration.

“I will say that we will be doing that,” Trump told reporters at the White House, "We'll be selling F-35s".

In a potential multibillion-dollar deal, Riyadh wants to buy as many as 48 US-made jets. Through the deal, Saudi Arabia is seeking to strengthen its security in the face of threats from countries such as Iran and militias across the Middle East.

Beyond the sale of the jets, more deals are expected to be announced during the visit itself, according to a senior Trump administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The official said Saudi Arabia is expected to announce a multibillion-dollar investment in US artificial intelligence infrastructure, adding that a new cooperation between the two in the civil nuclear energy sector is also on the table.

The sale of the fighter jets would mark a significant policy shift, potentially altering the balance of power in the Middle East.

As a result, the administration in Washington expressed concerns over potentially upsetting Israel’s qualitative military edge over its neighbours, particularly at a time when Trump is depending on Israeli support of his peace plan for Gaza, while Trump is trying to persuade Saudi Arabia and Israel to normalise diplomatic ties.

On Friday, the US president said he hoped Saudi Arabia would join the Abraham Accords, a pact that formalised commercial and diplomatic ties between Israel and a trio of Arab nations.

However, Riyadh has made it clear that the guarantee of a Palestinian state is a prerequisite for it to join the pact, something Israel has continuously opposed.