The U.S. is set to offer Saudi Arabia a weapons deal worth over $100B during Trump’s visit in May. The package includes advanced systems like drones and C-130 planes, with discussions on F-35 jets. The deal follows Biden’s failed defense pact negotiations.
The U.S. is preparing to offer Saudi Arabia a weapons deal exceeding $100 billion, according to six sources familiar with the matter. The package is expected to be announced during President Donald Trump's upcoming visit to the kingdom in May.
This comes after the Biden administration's unsuccessful attempt to negotiate a defense pact with Saudi Arabia, which had included advanced U.S. weapon access in exchange for cutting Chinese military ties and investments. It's unclear whether Trump’s deal includes similar conditions.
While the White House and Saudi officials haven't commented, a U.S. defense official emphasized that the U.S.-Saudi defense partnership is strong under Trump’s leadership and that cooperation on security remains a priority.
During his first term, Trump promoted weapons sales to the kingdom as beneficial for U.S. jobs. Companies like Lockheed Martin, RTX (formerly Raytheon), Boeing, Northrop Grumman, and General Atomics are expected to contribute significantly to the package. The deal may include C-130 transport planes, radars, missiles, and potentially MQ-9B drones. Discussions may also involve Lockheed’s F-35 jets, though no agreement on those is likely during the visit.
Several deals have been in discussion for years, including Saudi Arabia's interest in General Atomics’ drones since 2018. Over the past year, a $20 billion drone deal gained momentum.
Executives from U.S. defense firms are considering joining the trip as part of the delegation. While Trump proposed $110 billion in arms sales to Saudi Arabia in 2017, only $14.5 billion had moved forward by 2018, prompting congressional scrutiny after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
In 2021, Congress banned offensive arms sales to Riyadh due to Khashoggi’s killing and Saudi involvement in Yemen. That ban was lifted in 2024 amid shifting U.S. priorities following the Ukraine war and Gaza conflict.
U.S. law requires Congress to review major international arms deals before finalization. Although Saudi Arabia is interested in acquiring F-35 jets, U.S. law ensures Israel retains a military advantage, including exclusive access to the most advanced systems like the F-35.
U.S. President Donald Trump has called for Iran to pay compensation for decades of deaths and damage, adding a new demand to peace talks as Tehran see...
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham faces an early test of his climate commitments as his government weighs whether to approve two major North Sea oil and ...
Iran will host senior officials from the five Caspian Sea littoral states at a conference in Tehran on 23 September, aimed at strengthening regional c...
One hundred years after the First World War and more than eighty years after the devastation of the Second World War gave rise to the United Nations, humanity once again finds itself living in an age of permanent crisis.
For months, efforts to secure the Red Sea have focused on what is happening in the water. Naval deployments have increased, governments have expanded maritime cooperation and shipping companies have adapted to persistent security threats.
Flights arriving at Catania airport in eastern Sicily were suspended after volcanic ash from a new eruption of Mount Etna drifted into the airspace around the airport, disrupting operations at one of Italy’s busiest aviation hubs.
Greenland has issued a “strong warning” to a U.S. oil company linked to President Donald Trump after drilling equipment was brought ashore without the required government approvals, according to British media.
Iran said it was nearing a final pact with Oman defining new shipping lanes between them through the Strait of Hormuz but repeated that the U.S. must meet other conditions.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham faces an early test of his climate commitments as his government weighs whether to approve two major North Sea oil and gas projects, Rosebank and Jackdaw.
Europe is facing more frequent and prolonged extreme heat, with climate change making heatwaves increasingly intense and widespread, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned on Tuesday.
Russia's northern NATO neighbours are tightening security around critical infrastructure amid growing concern that Moscow could stage a “false flag” attack using Ukrainian drones.
Kyrgyzstan has proposed hosting part of Russian e-commerce giant Wildberries’ warehouse and logistics network, aiming to reduce supply-chain risks and strengthen trade with Russia.
North Korea has deployed troops, weapons and now, according to a Ukrainian intelligence official, a missile unit to support Russia's war against Ukraine, marking Pyongyang's most significant involvement in a war since the 1950s.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment