On top of F-35 sale, US and Saudi Arabia ink deals for civil nuclear energy and tanks
Contradicting US intelligence, Trump says MBS 'knew nothing' about Khashoggi killing by Saudi agents; Riyadh announces increase in US investment commitments to $1 trillion
The United States and Saudi Arabia signed agreements on civil nuclear energy and the sale of cutting-edge weaponry during a visit Tuesday by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as US President Donald Trump announced he was designating Riyadh a major non-NATO ally.
The two countries ratified a joint declaration on civil nuclear energy that “builds the legal foundation for a decades-long, multi-billion-dollar” partnership in line with “strong nonproliferation standards,” the White House said in a statement.
In addition, Trump approved a “major defense sale package,” which includes future deliveries of F-35 advanced stealth fighter jets and Saudi Arabia’s purchase of nearly 300 tanks from the US.
Israel reportedly urged the US to condition the sale of the F-35 fighters on Riyadh agreeing to join the Abraham Accords. But Trump nevertheless moved forward with the deal, appearing to dismiss concerns from the IDF and American intelligence that it could harm Israel’s qualitative military edge in the region.
In addition, the Saudi crown prince told Trump that his country would be increasing its financial commitments to the US from $600 billion — which had been announced during the president’s trip to Riyadh in May — to $1 trillion.
Details of those deals were not immediately clear but were expected to include investments in a variety of American businesses, including artificial intelligence, as well as the purchase of jet engines and other equipment.
As he hosted bin Salman for a gala dinner at the White House, Trump also said he was designating Saudi Arabia a major non-NATO ally, a designation that only 19 other countries, including Israel, have previously received.
“Tonight, I’m pleased to announce that we’re taking our military cooperation to even greater heights by formally designating Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally, which is something that is very important to them,” Trump said.
Trump: MBS ‘knew nothing’ about Khashoggi murder
Earlier, the controversy over the 2018 killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and US-based critic of the Saudi leadership, flared in the Oval Office in front of cameras, as Trump said bin Salman knew nothing about the murder by Saudi agents, contradicting a US intelligence assessment.
Trump singled out ABC News’s Mary Bruce after she asked a series of questions in the Oval Office as the US president hosted the de facto Saudi ruler.
Bruce first asked questions about whether dealings by Trump’s family business with the Saudis were a conflict of interest.
She then quizzed bin Salman over the murder, saying, “US intelligence concluded that you orchestrated the brutal murder of a journalist, 9/11 families are furious that you are here in the Oval Office. Why should Americans trust you?”
Trump cut in angrily, saying: “ABC fake news. One of the worst in the business.”
The US president then said he had “nothing to do” with the Trump organization, which is currently run by his two eldest sons and which announced a deal with a Saudi developer for a resort in the Maldives on Monday.
Trump also backed bin Salman’s denial of involvement in the Khashoggi murder, despite US intelligence suggesting he approved the operation.
“You don’t have to embarrass our guest by asking a question like that,” Trump snapped.
US intelligence agencies concluded that bin Salman approved the capture or killing of Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The crown prince denied ordering the operation but acknowledged responsibility as the kingdom’s de facto ruler.
“A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about, whether you like him or didn’t like him,” Trump told reporters, with bin Salman sitting beside him. “Things happened, but he knew nothing about it, and we can leave it at that.”
Bin Salman said it had been “painful” to hear about Khashoggi’s death but that his government “did all the right steps of investigation.”
“We’ve improved our system to be sure that nothing happened like that. And it’s painful and it’s a huge mistake,” he told reporters.
Trump also praised the crown prince for doing an “incredible” job on human rights, but did not elaborate.
When Bruce later asked a question about sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Trump urged the head of the US broadcast regulator — who has previously threatened ABC over its content — to “look at” taking away its license.