Overview
- Mohammed bin Salman made his first White House visit since Jamal Khashoggi’s 2018 killing, receiving full ceremonial honors as Trump publicly defended the crown prince and MBS called the murder a “huge mistake.”
- Trump said the United States will sell F-35 stealth jets to Saudi Arabia, with Reuters reporting Riyadh has requested up to 48 aircraft in what would be the kingdom’s first purchase of the platform.
- The prospective sale represents a major policy shift that could test U.S. commitments to Israel’s qualitative military edge and faces internal security reviews over technology protection and potential congressional scrutiny.
- MBS announced plans to boost a previously pledged $600 billion in U.S. investments to $1 trillion, with expected deals spanning artificial intelligence infrastructure and civil nuclear cooperation and a CEO summit set for Wednesday.
- Trump is pressing for Saudi entry into the Abraham Accords, while Saudi officials reiterate normalization with Israel requires a credible path to Palestinian statehood and the crown prince says he seeks progress “as soon as possible.”