President Donald Trump has designated Saudi Arabia a significant non-NATO ally of the US throughout a go to by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Washington, DC, the place the 2 leaders reached agreements masking arms gross sales, civil nuclear cooperation, synthetic intelligence and significant minerals.
Throughout a proper black-tie dinner on the White Home on Tuesday night, Trump made the announcement that he was taking “navy cooperation to even higher heights by formally designating Saudi Arabia as a significant non-NATO ally”.
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Trump stated the designation was “one thing that is essential to them, and I’m simply telling you now for the primary time as a result of I wished to maintain a little bit secret for tonight”.
The designation means a US accomplice advantages from navy and financial privileges but it surely doesn’t entail safety commitments.
Saudi Arabia and the US additionally signed a “historic strategic defence settlement”, Trump stated.
A White Home truth sheet stated the defence settlement, “fortifies deterrence throughout the Center East”, makes it simpler for US defence companies to function in Saudi Arabia and secures “new burden-sharing funds from Saudi Arabia to defray US prices”.
The White Home additionally introduced that Trump had accredited future deliveries of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia whereas the dominion had agreed to buy 300 American tanks.
“I am happy to announce that we’re taking our navy cooperation to even higher heights by formally designating Saudi Arabia as a significant non-NATO ally.” – President Donald J. Trump 🇺🇸🇸🇦 pic.twitter.com/PXXGGCBPGU
— The White Home (@WhiteHouse) November 19, 2025
Saudi F-35 deal raises questions on Israel’s ‘qualitative navy edge’
Saudi Arabia’s buy of the stealth fighter jets would mark the primary US sale of the superior fighter planes to Riyadh. The dominion has reportedly requested to purchase 48 of the plane.
The transfer is seen as a big coverage shift by Washington that would alter the navy steadiness of energy within the Center East, the place US legislation states that Israel should preserve a “qualitative navy edge”.
Israel has been the one nation within the Center East to have the F-35 till now.
Requested by Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett in regards to the influence of the jet fighter deal on Israel’s “qualitative navy edge”, Trump stated he was conscious that Israel would like that Riyadh obtain warplanes of “decreased calibre”.
“I don’t assume that makes you too joyful,” Trump stated, addressing the crown prince, who was seated beside him within the White Home.
“They’ve been an awesome ally. Israel’s been an awesome ally. … So far as I’m involved, I feel they’re each at a stage the place they need to get high of the road,” Trump stated of the F-35 deal.
Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher, reporting from the White Home, stated a part of the just about $1 trillion funding within the US introduced by Prince Mohammed included $142bn for the procurement of the F-35 fighter jets, “essentially the most superior of their type on the planet”.
Fisher additionally stated the Israeli authorities and lobbyists had tried to dam the sale of F-35s to Saudi Arabia.
The agreements introduced have been about “far more” than Saudi funding within the US, he added.
“It’s about serving to one another’s financial system, enterprise and defence. Politics isn’t close to the highest of the agenda, however each nations consider these offers might create a political reset within the Center East,” Fisher stated.
‘A transparent path’ for Palestinian state
The 2 nations additionally signed a joint declaration on the completion of negotiations on civil nuclear vitality cooperation, which the White Home stated would construct the authorized basis for a long-term nuclear vitality partnership with Riyadh.
Israeli officers had instructed that they’d not be against Saudi Arabia getting F-35s so long as Saudi Arabia normalises relations with Israel underneath the Abraham Accords framework.
The Saudis, nevertheless, have stated they’d be a part of the Abraham Accords however solely after there’s a credible and assured path to Palestinian statehood, a place Prince Mohammed repeated within the assembly with Trump.
“We need to be a part of the Abraham Accords, however we would like additionally to ensure that we safe a transparent path of a two-state answer,” he stated.
“We’re going to work on that to ensure that we come ready for the state of affairs as quickly as potential to have that,” he added.
