By Evgenia Filimianova
President Donald Trump is set to receive Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Washington on Nov. 18 to deepen cooperation on energy and security amid a U.S. push for Saudi-Israeli normalization.
Speaking to reporters on board Air Force One on Nov. 14, Trump described the crown prince’s visit, his second to Washington in seven years, as “more than a meeting.”
“We are honoring Saudi Arabia,” Trump said, adding that the two leaders will be discussing the Abraham Accords, a series of normalization agreements between Israel and Arab states signed in late 2020.
“I hope that Saudi Arabia will be going into the Abraham Accords fairly shortly,” Trump said.
The Saudi crown prince maintains that normalization can only occur if there is concrete progress toward a Palestinian state, a demand Israel’s current government firmly opposes.
The United States has been pressing for the expansion of the Abraham Accords, as part of its efforts to bring stability to the Middle East and strengthen the October Gaza cease-fire agreement that ended the two-year conflict between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas.
Current signatories to the Abraham Accords include the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco. Earlier this month, Kazakhstan announced its intention to join. Trump said the United States would soon announce that more countries are expected to join.
“We’ve had tremendous interest in the Abraham Accords since we put Iran out of business,” Trump said on Nov. 14.
Iran’s nuclear program was set back by U.S. and Israeli strikes in June. On Nov. 16, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Iran is no longer enriching uranium anywhere in the country.
Trade Relations
Saudi Arabia remains a key U.S. trading partner in the Middle East, with $9.5 billion in Saudi investment in 2023, according to the White House.
“In 2024, U.S.–Saudi Arabia goods trade totaled $25.9 billion, with U.S. exports at $13.2 billion, imports at $12.7 billion, and a trade surplus in goods of $443 million,” the White House stated in a May fact sheet.
The crown prince’s visit, coming after Trump’s Middle East tour in May, may prompt further developments in the U.S.–Saudi trade relationship.
In May, Trump and the crown prince signed a $142 billion arms deal for weapons, equipment, and training as part of an overarching $600 billion economic framework.
Trump is also considering a deal to sell Saudi Arabia advanced F-35 stealth fighter jets built by Lockheed Martin, according to his comments on Nov. 14.
The F-35, known for its advanced stealth, integrated sensors, and multirole capabilities, is a core platform for U.S. and allied forces. Saudi Arabia is seeking the jets as part of a broader effort to modernize its fleet. Any sale would still require congressional approval.
Trump said that Saudi Arabia is keen to make the deal and confirmed he is looking into the sale.
“Well, they wanted to buy a lot of jets. We make the best jets. We make the best missiles,” he said. “They’ve asked me to look at it. They want to buy a lot of 35, but they want to buy actually more than that fighter jet, too.”
The United States is strengthening defense partnerships across the Middle East. During a Sept. 15 regional trip, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington and Qatar are nearing completion of a new defense cooperation agreement.
The Saudi crown prince’s visit to Washington is his first trip since the 2018 killing of Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul.
Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and Washington Post columnist who had criticized the crown prince’s policies, was killed and dismembered by a team of operatives linked to the crown prince in October 2018.
A February 2021 report issued by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) said, “We assess that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman approved an operation in Istanbul, Turkey, to capture or kill Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.”
Riyadh denied any involvement by the crown prince, but the Saudi leader acknowledged responsibility as the kingdom’s de facto ruler.
