Overview
- The White House designated Saudi Arabia a Major Non‑NATO Ally and announced a Strategic Defense Agreement, though no formal U.S. defense treaty was enacted.
- Plans were unveiled to sell 48 F‑35s and nearly 300 Abrams tanks to Riyadh, a move that requires congressional approval and must comply with U.S. law protecting Israel’s qualitative military edge.
- Riyadh pledged to boost U.S. investment to roughly $1 trillion, with about $270 billion in corporate agreements discussed, alongside new frameworks on critical minerals, civil nuclear talks, and AI and semiconductor cooperation.
- Saudi AI firm HUMAIN outlined Nvidia‑powered data centers and partnerships with xAI and AWS, while U.S. officials flagged technology‑transfer risks tied to China in evaluating advanced sales.
- President Trump publicly said Mohammed bin Salman knew nothing about Jamal Khashoggi’s 2018 killing, even as U.S. intelligence has assessed the crown prince approved the operation and Khashoggi’s widow criticized the defense.