Washington: President Donald Trump announced that the United States would sell F-35 stealth fighters to Saudi Arabia, coinciding with the visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the White House for discussions. Trump confirmed the sale to reporters, highlighting the strong alliance between the two nations.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Riyadh has been a longstanding goal for Saudi Arabia, which seeks to enhance its military capabilities. Currently, Israel is the only Middle Eastern country possessing these advanced jets. Israeli officials have expressed concerns over the potential sale to Saudi Arabia amid ongoing efforts to encourage the kingdom to normalize relations.
In addition, a source familiar with the negotiations revealed that Trump and the crown prince would sign an agreement establishing a framework for civilian nuclear cooperation. Saudi Arabia aims to diversify its economy from fossil fuels and is interested in acquiring advanced US technology through a “123 agreement.” However, any such agreements are subject to strict non-proliferation rules, and Congress is expected to thoroughly examine any comprehensive accord.
Saudi Arabia insists it is not pursuing nuclear weapons and has recently strengthened its defense partnership with Pakistan. The US has previously restricted F-35 sales to its closest allies, including several European NATO members and Israel. In contrast, Turkey was removed from the F-35 program in 2019 due to concerns over its purchase of a Russian air defense system, which raised fears that Moscow might access the jet’s technology.
This visit marks the Saudi prince’s first trip to the US since the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which led to global condemnation and temporarily strained relations. During the visit, Prince Mohammed is expected to seek security assurances from the US, while Trump is likely to urge the prince to consider normalizing relations with Israel, though Saudi Arabia is not expected to agree to normalization at this time.