Roving Periscope: After Pakistan, S. Arabia may ink defence pact with the US
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: After signing a mutual defence pact with Pakistan in September—mainly against Iran—Saudi Arabia is re-exploring a pact with the US as well.
During the recent Israel-Iran conflict, in which the US bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities, Tehran had fired missiles at Qatar which has a defence pact with the US.
Ahead of Crown Prince Mohammed bin-Salman (MbS)’s upcoming visit to Washington in November, the two countries are negotiating a deal similar to the recent US-Qatar pact. If signed, it could bind Washington more tightly to the kingdom’s protection, the media reported on Friday.
This development comes amid the Middle East re-emerging as one of the world’s hottest geopolitical spots in recent months. In an all-round turmoil, nations in this region are exploring new ways to tilt the shifting security balance in their favour.
The potential Riyadh-Washington deal, similar to a recent US-Qatar agreement, may be sealed during the Crown Prince’s visit to Washington next month, the Financial Times reported.
The defence pact is expected to include deeper military and intelligence cooperation.
“There are discussions about signing something when the Crown Prince comes”, an official was quoted as saying, although the details are still being worked out.
The renewed push for a formal bilateral defence pact comes just weeks after US President Donald Trump issued an executive order pledging to respond to any attack on Qatar with “all lawful and appropriate measures, including diplomatic, economic, and, if necessary, military.”
The order followed Israeli missile strikes on Doha in September that targeted Hamas’s political leaders — a move that unsettled Gulf states which are heavily reliant on US protection. Later, Trump prevailed upon Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to apologise to his counterpart in Qatar.
Earlier, Saudi Arabia had explored a defence treaty with the Joe Biden administration (2021-24), tied to a plan to normalise relations with Israel. However, that effort collapsed after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, assault on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza.
MbS has since accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza and stated that Riyadh would only move towards normalisation if a separate Palestinian state is established, which Netanyahu rejected.
The Crown Princce’s Washington visit will be his first to the US since 2018, which also happened during Trump’s first presidency. He has maintained close personal ties with the US President and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Saudi Arabia is among the biggest buyers of American weapons. During Trump’s visit to Riyadh in May 2025, the White House announced a USD 142 billion arms deal, almost twice the size of Saudi Arabia’s defence budget in 2024. It was viewed as the largest defence sale in history, incorporating air and space capabilities, missile defence systems, and maritime and border security.
The US, a staunch supporter of Israel, has faced some uneasy relationships with the Muslim countries in the Middle East. Despite their extensive defence links, these countries are increasingly wary about the reliability of Washington’s security umbrella. During President Trump’ first term, the US had not responded to a 2019 missile and drone strike attributed to Iran, which temporarily shut down half of Saudi Arabia’s oil production.
The Israeli strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar and the subsequent 12-day Israel-Iran confrontation in June 2025 — when Tehran launched missiles at a US base in Qatar following American strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites — have further complicated the issue and deepened anxiety.
These uncertainties have prompted the Gulf states to diversity their defence partnerships. That was why Saudi Arabia signed a “strategic mutual defence” pact with nuclear-armed Pakistan, highlighting its intent to broaden security partnerships beyond the US and Israel.
However, Riyadh and Doha (Qatar) did little when Pakistan requested them to rein in the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan during their six-day armed skirmishes before a 48-hour ceasefire, ending Friday (September 17 evening).
