Trump Gives Green Light for Sale of F-35 Fighter Jets to Saudi Arabia

It is highly likely that Trump will agree to the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia.

According Rokna, Bloomberg reported, quoting an official in the White House, that the U.S. president and the Saudi crown prince are expected to reach an agreement under which Riyadh would obtain the stealth F-35 fighters. Bloomberg did not reveal the identity of this American official.

The F-35 is a highly advanced, stealth-capable fighter jet. At present, Israel is the only country in the Middle East that possesses F-35 aircraft.

The U.S. outlet added that Trump and Mohammed bin Salman intend to sign economic and defense agreements. Signing these agreements is among the planned items of Tuesday’s meeting between the American and Saudi leaders at the White House.

Reuters wrote that it has not yet been able to verify the accuracy of this report.

Previously, Trump had said he was reviewing Saudi Arabia’s request to purchase F-35 jets. Some unofficial sources had reported concerns among Israeli officials about the possible sale of F-35 aircraft to Riyadh.

Donald Trump, the President of the United States, said he is considering approving a contract to sell F-35 stealth jets manufactured by Lockheed Martin to Saudi Arabia. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said: “They want to buy a large number of fighter jets. I am reviewing the matter. They asked me to look into it. They want to buy a large number of F-35s, but they actually want to buy more than that — more fighter jets.”

This potential agreement comes as Trump is set in the coming days to host Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, at the White House, where economic and defense agreements are expected to be signed.

In response to reporters, Trump said these negotiations are “more than one meeting; we respect Saudi Arabia.”

He again expressed hope that Saudi Arabia would soon join the Abraham Accords — the agreements that normalized relations between Israel and several Muslim-majority countries. Previously, the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco, under Trump’s mediation and within the framework of the Abraham Accords, normalized ties with Israel and recognized Tel Aviv.

Reuters wrote that Riyadh is unwilling to normalize relations with Israel without an agreed-upon roadmap that would lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state.

The New York Times reported Thursday, quoting informed sources, that an intelligence report from the U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) has raised concerns about the potential F-35 sale and warned that, if the deal proceeds, China might gain access to the aircraft’s technology.

Saudi Arabia and China maintain very close relations. Previously, reports had emerged regarding Saudi Arabia’s purchase of missiles from China.

The United States and Saudi Arabia have close political, military, security, and economic relations. They are political and economic allies and partners. A number of U.S. troops and weapons systems are currently stationed in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia is the largest purchaser of American weapons.

The F-35 is a stealth-capable and highly advanced fighter jet. The estimated cost of each F-35 is around 100 million dollars.
In addition to the U.S. military, F-35 aircraft are also in service in the militaries of Israel, Italy, Japan, and South Korea.
Turkey has also attempted to purchase F-35 jets.

Previously, the UAE signed a contract to buy F-35s from the United States, but delivery of the jets to the Emirates has been delayed.