Overview
- Mohammed bin Salman received full honors in his first White House visit since the 2018 killing of Jamal Khashoggi, which U.S. intelligence assessed he likely ordered and which he denies.
- Trump said the U.S. agreed to sell F-35 fighters to Saudi Arabia, a deal that requires congressional approval and has drawn concerns about Israel’s qualitative military edge and exposure of sensitive technology to China.
- An investment summit at the Kennedy Center is set to gather leaders from major U.S. companies, with officials signaling expected Saudi commitments to multibillion‑dollar AI infrastructure and new civilian nuclear cooperation.
- Saudi officials are pursuing formal U.S. security guarantees, with details unsettled and any agreement lacking congressional ratification potentially reversible by a future president.
- Human rights groups urged Washington to condition ties on reforms, as Trump told reporters MBS “didn’t know” about Khashoggi’s murder and reporting highlighted potential conflicts of interest involving Trump’s business links to Saudi projects.