Saudi Arabia First to Own It Arabically.. Trump: We Will Sell F-35 Aircraft to Riyadh

SadaNews - President Donald Trump announced his intention to approve the sale of American-made F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, just one day before hosting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for diplomatic talks, while Riyadh and Washington will sign a "framework agreement for civil nuclear cooperation" during the Crown Prince's visit, according to a Saudi source familiar with the negotiations, who spoke to AFP.

 

The source, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, stated that the influential Crown Prince and President Trump will sign a "framework for a civil nuclear cooperation agreement based on the standards of a 123 agreement," which includes a non-proliferation agreement similar to those the United States has signed, particularly with South Korea, India, and the UAE.

For years, Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter and a powerful entity with the region’s largest economy, has been seeking an agreement with Washington to obtain nuclear technology for civilian use.

Acquiring civil nuclear technology was at the core of US-brokered negotiations to normalize Saudi-Israeli relations, which were suspended following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which ignited the destructive war in the Gaza Strip.

However, it seems the two countries will proceed with launching their nuclear cooperation independent of Saudi Arabia’s joining the Abraham Accords, which were brokered by Trump in 2020, resulting in formal relations between Israel and Bahrain, the UAE, Morocco, and later Sudan, as it is unlikely that Saudi Arabia will agree to normalization at this stage.

F-35

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, "I will say that we will do it... we will sell the F-35 aircraft."

Completing the deal would represent a major shift in policy, a shift that could alter the military balance of power in the Middle East and test Washington’s concept of maintaining Israel's "qualitative military superiority."

Saudi Arabia has requested to purchase up to 48 F-35 fighter jets in a potential multi-billion dollar deal. Reuters reported earlier this month that the deal passed a key hurdle in the U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) ahead of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit.

Saudi Arabia has long shown interest in the fighter jet produced by Lockheed Martin.

A senior White House official told Reuters before Trump spoke that the president "wants to talk to the Crown Prince about the aircraft, after which we will make our decision."

Personal Appeal

Saudi Arabia, the largest buyer of American arms, has been seeking to acquire this fighter jet for years as part of its effort to modernize its air force and face regional threats, particularly from Iran.

The Kingdom’s renewed push for what constitutes two squadrons comes as the Trump administration has shown openness to deepening defensive cooperation with Riyadh. The Saudi Air Force operates a variety of fighter jets, including Boeing F-15s and European Tornado and Typhoon aircraft.

Saudi Arabia made a direct appeal to Trump this year to purchase these planes.

U.S. officials speaking on condition of anonymity told Reuters that the policy office at the Pentagon had been working on the potential deal for months.

Washington reviews arms sales to the Middle East in a way that ensures Israel maintains a "qualitative military superiority." This guarantees that Israel receives more advanced American weapons than Arab countries in the region.

The F-35 is equipped with stealth technology that enables it to evade enemy detection, making it the most advanced fighter jet in the world. Israel has operated this aircraft for nearly a decade, having received multiple squadrons, and it remains the only country in the Middle East to possess this weapon system.

The F-35 issue has also intersected with broader diplomatic efforts. The previous administration of President Joe Biden had considered providing F-35s to Saudi Arabia as part of a comprehensive deal that would include normalizing relations between Riyadh and Israel, but those efforts ultimately faltered.

Congressional scrutiny could pose challenges to any sale of F-35s. Legislators have previously expressed skepticism about arms deals with Riyadh following the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, and some members of Congress remain wary about deepening military cooperation with the Kingdom.