Trump Announces F-35 Jet Sale to Saudi Arabia Amid Controversial Meeting

Tue Nov 18 2025 20:49:04 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

US President Donald Trump confirms the sale of advanced F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia during Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit, highlighting strategic alliances despite human rights concerns.

In a significant announcement, President Donald Trump stated that the United States will sell F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, coinciding with the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to the White House. This meeting, the first since the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, will focus on defense agreements and nuclear power collaboration. However, the deal has raised concerns regarding the potential sharing of sensitive technology with China and implications for Israel's regional security. Trump aims to foster greater ties, including a push for the signing of the Abraham Accords, amidst challenges in the peace process with Palestine.

The US will sell F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, President Donald Trump told reporters ahead of a White House meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

We will be doing that. We will be selling F-35 jets, Trump said. They've been a great ally. The leaders are expected to discuss deals on defence and civilian nuclear power during Tuesday's White House visit, the first by the de facto Saudi leader since journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed and dismembered at the hands of Saudi agents seven years ago.

A US intelligence assessment has indicated that Prince Mohammed approved the operation leading to Khashoggi's death, a claim he has denied.

The crown prince's last visit was during Trump's first term in 2018, coinciding with Khashoggi's murder.

While former President Joe Biden did not host the crown prince and labeled Saudi Arabia a "pariah" for its human rights record, he did visit the kingdom in 2022 to reach agreements on various issues, raising Khashoggi's case during discussions.

During their May meeting, Trump and the crown prince secured nearly $142 billion worth of arms sales, touted as the largest defence sales agreement in history. Saudi Arabia remains the largest importer of US arms.

Concerns have been voiced by some American defence officials about the potential sale of F-35s to Saudi Arabia, citing risks associated with sensitive stealth technology that could be compromised through Saudi partnerships with China.

Conditions set by the Saudis for normalizing relations with Israel, outlined in Trump’s Abraham Accords, hinge on establishing a path to Palestinian statehood—a stance currently rejected by the Israeli government.