White house to host Saudi crown prince amid push for major defense and investment deals

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is scheduled to be hosted with full state honors at the White House on Tuesday, in a visit that is expected to advance major defense and business agreements and signal a firm restoration of U.S.-Saudi ties strained since the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The visit will be the crown prince’s first trip to the United States since Khashoggi, a Saudi critic, was killed by Saudi agents in Istanbul an operation that U.S. intelligence later assessed to have been approved by the crown prince, though he denied ordering it while acknowledging responsibility as the kingdom’s de facto ruler. The warm reception planned in Washington is being viewed as a clear indication that relations between the two countries have been normalized after years of tension.

According to U.S. officials, the crown prince’s day in Washington has been arranged as a full slate of high-level engagements. Meetings in the Oval Office have been scheduled, followed by a Cabinet Room luncheon hosted in his honor. The evening will be capped with a formal black-tie dinner at the White House events designed to underscore the strategic weight Washington is placing on the renewed partnership.

A major focus of the visit is expected to be the advancement of a proposed sale of 48 F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia. The sale was signaled by former President Donald Trump, who told reporters that the aircraft “would be sold” to the kingdom marking what would become the first U.S. transfer of the advanced jets to Riyadh and a significant shift from long-standing American policy designed to preserve Israel’s military edge in the region.

A $600 billion Saudi investment pledge, originally announced during Trump’s 2025 visit to the kingdom, is also expected to be leveraged during Tuesday’s discussions. Senior White House officials have indicated that agreements in technology, manufacturing, defense and other sectors are likely to be finalized.

It was stated by officials that Riyadh is seeking wide-ranging commitments, including security guarantees, access to advanced artificial intelligence technologies and movement on a civilian nuclear cooperation framework. “A significant amount of Saudi spending is expected to be directed toward the U.S.,” a senior official was quoted as saying.

Former U.S. Middle East negotiator Dennis Ross said the trip is being viewed by Washington as a critical opportunity to anchor Saudi Arabia firmly in the U.S. orbit at a time when global powers are competing for influence in the Gulf. According to Ross, it was believed by Trump that deeper cooperation across security, finance, energy and AI sectors would help ensure that Riyadh does not drift toward Beijing’s strategic sphere.

Pressure is also expected to be applied on the Saudi crown prince to join the Abraham Accords and move toward normalizing relations with Israel. Despite longstanding Saudi reluctance to take that step without clearer prospects for Palestinian statehood, a goal complicated by ongoing conflict in Gaza Trump is believed to consider Saudi participation as central to his broader Middle East strategy.

A senior U.S. official stated that Saudi entry into the accords is regarded by Trump as “very important” to achieving wider regional peace, and that efforts to secure Riyadh’s assent will be intensified during the visit.

Experts say that while progress on normalization may remain limited, it is unlikely to impede movement toward a new bilateral security pact. Jonathan Panikoff, a former U.S. intelligence official, said Trump’s priority remains securing major Saudi investments promised in earlier discussions, suggesting that defense ties could expand regardless of the pace of Israeli-Saudi diplomacy.

According to Panikoff, the pursuit of both U.S. investment and enhanced defense cooperation is expected to continue even as Washington presses Riyadh on normalization.