Roving Periscope: Balancing Israel, the US to sell F-35 aircraft to S. Arabia
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Balancing an aggressive Israel amid fragile peace in the Middle East, President Donald Trump said on Monday the US will sell advanced fighter aircraft F-35 to Saudi Arabia.
His announcement came on the eve of his meeting with the visiting Crown Prince Mohammed bin-Salman (MbS), the de facto ruler in Riyadh, in Washington on Tuesday, the media reported.
The Saudis are seeking defence assurances and advanced aircraft from Washington amid the ongoing peace process in Gaza and the unfolding 20-point Trump peace plan.
The US President also praised the Kingdom for its long partnership with the USA. He is expected to persuade MbS to join the Abraham Accords.
“I will say that we will be doing that,” Trump said when asked if he would sell the jets to Saudi Arabia. “We’ll be selling F-35.”
The Crown Prince is expected to arrive with a wish list including receiving formal assurances from President Trump, defining the scope of the US military protection for the Kingdom, and an agreement to buy the US-made F-35 fighter jets, one of the world’s most advanced aircraft.
The Republican administration, however, has been wary about upsetting Israel’s “qualitative military advantage” over its neighbours, especially at a time when Trump is depending on Israeli support for the success of his Gaza peace plan.
Another long-standing concern, which also derailed a potential similar sale to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is that the F-35 technology could be stolen by or somehow transferred to China, which has close ties to both the UAE and Saudi Arabia and which, in recent years, briefly sought to replace even the US as the chief power broker in the Middle East.
The Crown Prince’s Washington trip follows President Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia in May 2025 wherein the Kingdom made a USD 600 billion trade and investment commitment to the US. Trump will be looking to cement those pledges this week.
It is also MbS’ first visit to Washington after the controversial killing of his critic and Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October 2018 in Saudi consulate at Istanbul in Turkey (now Turkiye). MbS denied ordering the killing but a US intelligence report concluded that the Crown Prince had approved the operation.
During their Tuesday meeting, Trump and MbS are expected to discuss the deepening of defence, trade, and technology ties as well as cooperation in the fields of artificial intelligence, security and nuclear energy.
“The United States wants Saudi Arabia to purchase more of its goods and services and increase investments in the US companies, and Saudi Arabia is seeking greater access to US technology and innovation to support its ambitious Vision 2030 reforms,” according to Tim Callen, visiting fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute
The US-Saudi Investment Forum, scheduled on November 19, will be an opportunity to seal more economic deals between the two countries, he said, noting that Saudi Arabia wants a two-way street with Washington when it comes to investments.
Since the widespread scandal around the Khashoggi killing, and criticism of Saudi’s record on gender equality and human rights generally, the Kingdom has looked to rehabilitate its global image, predominantly through looking to broker peace agreements in the Middle East, and a push to host blockbuster sports events, such as the 2034 FIFA World Cup in men’s soccer.
After its adversary Iran largely weakened because of US and Israeli joint strikes a few months ago, Saudi Arabia believes its own dominance has grown and has positioned itself as a key strategic ally to the US in the region.
