Saudi Arabia is discussing a defense deal with the United States that it hopes to seal when Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visits the White House next month, Financial times reported Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
A senior Trump administration official told Financial times There were discussions about signing something when the crown prince arrives, but the details are in flux.
He FOOT He said the agreement under discussion was similar to the recent US-Qatar pact that promised to treat any armed attack on Qatar as a threat to the United States. The US deal with Qatar came after Israel tried last month to kill Hamas leaders with an airstrike on Doha.
The US State Department told the FOOT that defense cooperation with the kingdom was a “solid foundation of our regional strategy,” but declined to comment on the details of the potential deal.
The US State Department, the White House and the Saudi government did not respond to a request. Reuters request for comments on the FOOT report.
Last month, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a historic mutual defense agreement, according to which any aggression against one state will be considered an attack against both. The pact was signed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh.
The timing of the agreement, which came on the heels of an Arab summit that marked a shift toward collective security (following Israel’s attack on Qatar), suggests that it is rooted in current world affairs and reflects the defense concerns of both countries. It also came just months after a deadly conflict between India and Pakistan in May, as well as the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June.
