Overview
- Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrives in Washington for meetings on defense, investment and potential normalization with Israel in his first U.S. trip since the Khashoggi killing.
- Saudi Arabia has sought up to 48 F-35s, and news outlets report the Pentagon has processed and approved the request as part of a multibillion-dollar package.
- Israeli officials voice security concerns over eroding the country’s qualitative military edge, with some reports tying any delivery to Saudi steps toward normalization with Israel.
- Riyadh is pursuing broad U.S. security guarantees as Washington links a defense pact and advanced technology cooperation to progress on Israel ties and large Saudi investment pledges of about $600 billion.
- Parallel to policy talks, the Trump Organization is in negotiations on a major Diriyah real-estate project with Saudi-linked developer Dar Global, which paid about $21.9 million in licensing fees last year, prompting conflict-of-interest scrutiny.