Saudi Arabia is in advanced discussions with the Trump administration over a potential defence agreement that could mirror a recent U.S.-Qatar pact, committing Washington to regard any attack on the kingdom as a threat to American “peace and security,” according to a report by the Financial Times.
People familiar with the matter told the Financial Times that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman hopes to finalise the deal during his visit to the White House next month. The agreement is expected to be “robust,” encompassing expanded military and intelligence cooperation between the two countries.
A senior Trump administration official confirmed that talks were underway, saying, “There are discussions about signing something when the crown prince comes, but the details are in flux.” Both the White House and State Department declined to comment further.
The State Department said in a statement that U.S. defence cooperation with Saudi Arabia “remains a strong bedrock of our regional strategy,” adding that Washington was “committed to the security of the region” and would continue to work with Riyadh to “resolve conflicts, promote regional integration, and deny safe haven to terrorists.”
The proposed pact comes just weeks after President Donald Trump signed an executive order pledging that the U.S. would respond to any attack on Qatar with “all lawful and appropriate measures — including diplomatic, economic, and, if necessary, military.” That move followed an Israeli missile strike on Doha that targeted Hamas’s political leadership, sending shockwaves through Gulf nations long reliant on Washington for security guarantees.
Saudi Arabia, which has long sought a formal defence agreement with the U.S., previously negotiated a treaty with the Biden administration that was linked to normalising relations with Israel. Those talks collapsed after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack and the ensuing war in Gaza.
Crown Prince Mohammed has since hardened his stance toward Israel, accusing it of committing genocide in Gaza and insisting that diplomatic recognition would only follow the establishment of a Palestinian state — a demand Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to reject.
With the Biden-era talks shelved, Riyadh has shifted focus to securing a standalone defence arrangement under Trump. Analysts say such an agreement could come either through a formal treaty or another executive order similar to the Qatar pact.
“I’m expecting, on the back end of the executive order with Qatar, that there will be similar progress on defence and security issues,” said Firas Maksad, Washington-based managing director for the Middle East and North Africa at Eurasia Group. “They are working on something much more robust than what already exists.”
Maksad added that strengthening security cooperation with the U.S. was “absolutely paramount” for the crown prince, who is pursuing multi-trillion-dollar plans to transform Saudi Arabia’s economy.
However, Hussein Ibish, a senior scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, warned that Trump’s push for Saudi-Israeli normalization could complicate the talks. “That doesn’t mean we can’t get past it — because all Trump has to do is decide it’s a good idea. But we’re not there yet,” he said.
Prince Mohammed’s upcoming trip marks his first U.S. visit since 2018, during Trump’s first term. Saudi Arabia remains one of the largest purchasers of American arms, and during Trump’s earlier visit to the region, the White House announced a record $142 billion defence deal with Riyadh — double the kingdom’s 2024 defence budget — including air force, missile defence, and border security components.
Despite close ties, Gulf nations have grown increasingly uneasy about Washington’s long-term commitment to regional security. Trump’s muted response to a 2019 missile and drone attack on Saudi oil facilities — widely blamed on Iran — and recent Israeli strikes in Qatar have deepened those concerns.
In a sign of diversification, Saudi Arabia last month signed a “strategic mutual defence” pact with nuclear-armed Pakistan, a move analysts interpret as a signal to both Washington and Tel Aviv that Riyadh is exploring alternative partnerships to bolster deterrence.
“There’s an understanding that there’s no substitute for the U.S. security architecture in the region,” Maksad said. “But there are ways you can plug holes and augment the profile.”
