From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, November 18, 2025
Trump to welcome Saudi crown prince with offer of fighter jets, business deals
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
US President Donald Trump will roll out the red carpet today for Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, for a visit expected to advance the sale of F-35 fighter jets and a host of business deals with the kingdom.
It will be the first trip by bin Salman, widely known as MBS, to the US since the 2018 killing of Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents in Istanbul, which triggered global outrage. US intelligence concluded that MBS approved the capture or killing of Khashoggi, a prominent critic. The crown prince denied ordering the operation but acknowledged responsibility as the kingdom’s de facto ruler.
The warm welcome he will receive in Washington is the latest sign that relations have recovered from the deep strain caused by Khashoggi’s murder.
During a day of White House diplomacy, MBS will hold talks with Trump in the Oval Office, have lunch in the Cabinet Room and attend a formal black-tie dinner in the evening.
Trump hopes to cash in on a $600 billion Saudi investment pledge made during his visit to the kingdom in May. A senior White House official tells Reuters that US-Saudi deals on technology, manufacturing, defense and more are expected.
Trump told reporters yesterday the US will be selling F-35s to the Saudis, who have requested to buy 48 of the advanced aircraft. This would be the first US sale of the fighter jets to Saudi Arabia and mark a significant policy shift. The deal could alter the military balance in the Middle East and test Washington’s definition of maintaining what the US has termed Israel’s “qualitative military edge.” Until now, Israel has been the only country in the Middle East to have the F-35.
Beyond military equipment, the Saudi leader is seeking security guarantees, access to artificial intelligence technology and progress on a deal on a civilian nuclear program.
“The Saudis will be spending a lot of money tomorrow on the US,” a senior White House official tells Reuters.
Former US negotiator in the Middle East Dennis Ross, who is now at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, says Trump wants to develop a multifaceted relationship that keeps Saudi Arabia out of China’s sphere. “President Trump believes all these steps bind the Saudis increasingly to us on a range of issues, ranging from security to the finance-AI-energy nexus. He wants them bound to us on these issues and not China,” Ross says.
Trump is expected to pressure MBS for Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords and normalize relations with Israel. The Saudis have been reluctant to take such a major step without a clear path to Palestinian statehood, a goal that has been forced to the backburner as the region grapples with the war against Hamas in Gaza.
The Times of Israel Community.