Trump: Saudi Arabia will be sold fighter jets by the US
US President Donald Trump has confirmed that the US will sell F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, according to a report from the BBC and agencies on November 18th.
Ahead of a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Trump said “we will be selling F-35 jets,” adding that Saudi Arabia has been “a great ally.”
The US State Department had previously announced an arms deal with Saudi Arabia worth over $1 billion; the deal, valued at an estimated $1.4 billion, was finalised in May. Saudi Arabia is reportedly the biggest buyer of American arms.Â
According to the leading defence contractor Lockheed Martin, one F-35A jet costs an average of $82.5 million; the stealth jets are considered to be advanced military technology. In 2021, the US banned the sale of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia, a ban that was lifted in 2024.
Historically, US policy had restricted the sale of the fifth-generation jets in the Middle East to Israel. However, in June, Morocco was reportedly hoping to strike a deal to become the first Arab and African country to acquire F-35 fighter jets.
Lockheed Martin is one of several defence contractors that have faced criticism over alleged complicity in Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza, with the role of the F-35 aircraft in Israeli military operations coming under scrutiny.
The sale of fighter jets to Saudi Arabia is likely part of US efforts for the country to normalise relations with Israel through the US-backed Abraham Accords, as Trump previously urged Middle Eastern nations to join the accords.
This is despite Saudi Arabia publicly condemning Israel’s war on Gaza, and accusing Israel of “extremism” after an Arab delegation was blocked from entering the Occupied West Bank.
During a November 2024 Arab-Islamic summit in Riyadh, the Saudi Crown Prince called on Israel to stop attacking Iran; earlier at the summit, he condemned Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
Saudi Arabia has previously invested in an Israeli company linked to the Israeli military through its ties with Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who is a key proponent of the Abraham Accords.
In contrast to the US, Saudi Arabia has expressed support for the formal recognition of a Palestinian state by Western nations, including the UK.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the recognition as rewarding Hamas, and reaffirmed his government’s opposition at a cabinet meeting on November 16th.
BBC and agencies, Maghrebi.org
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