Saudi Arabia in Talks with U.S. Over Defense Agreement

Saudi Arabia is currently in discussions with the United States regarding a potential defense agreement, which may be signed during Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to the White House next month. The report comes from the Financial Times, as cited by Reuters.

According to the report, a former U.S. official familiar with the negotiations confirmed that discussions are underway to finalize a defense pact during the Crown Prince’s visit, though details have not yet been finalized.

The report states that the potential agreement would be similar to the U.S.-Qatar defense pact. Under that agreement, the United States pledged to consider any military attack on Qatar as an attack on the U.S. itself. That agreement was signed shortly after Israeli airstrikes in Doha targeting Hamas leaders.

The U.S. State Department has said that defense cooperation with Saudi Arabia remains a strong pillar of its regional strategy, but declined to comment on the specifics of any potential agreement.

Similarly, the State Department, the White House, and the Saudi government have yet to make any official statements regarding the matter.

Last month, Saudi Arabia signed a defense agreement with nuclear-armed Pakistan. That deal was signed in Riyadh by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, just one week after the Israeli strikes in Qatar, which significantly shifted the regional diplomatic landscape.