‘We’ll be selling F-35s’: Donald Trump clears deal with Saudi Arabia; US cautious over Saudi–China ties
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that his administration would move ahead with the long-anticipated sale of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, despite internal concerns that the deal could expose sensitive American technology to China.When asked whether he would approve the sale, Trump said, “I will say that we will be doing that. We’ll be selling F-35s.”
The announcement came a day before Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s expected arrival in Washington, his first US visit in over seven years. The F-35 deal is among several major agreements the two countries are likely to unveil during the visit, according to AP.The crown prince is expected to seek formal US assurances on military protection for the kingdom and the purchase of the F-35, one of the world’s most advanced fighter jets.The timing of the announcement also reflects Trump’s push to secure a normalisation deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel. He has promoted an expansion of the Abraham Accords as key to long-term regional stability while the fragile Gaza ceasefire holds. “I hope that Saudi Arabia will be going into the Abraham Accords very shortly,” he told reporters on Air Force One on Friday.However, Saudi Arabia has maintained that any deal must include a guaranteed pathway to a Palestinian state, a position Israel firmly rejects. Officials say Riyadh is unlikely to join the accords immediately, though there is guarded optimism about a possible agreement by the end of Trump’s second term.The New York Times reported that a Pentagon intelligence assessment raised fresh concerns that China could gain access to sensitive F-35 technology if the sale proceeds. Sources familiar with the Defence Intelligence Agency’s findings said US officials fear potential Chinese espionage and Beijing’s growing security cooperation with Riyadh. Washington has also been evaluating whether the sale would affect Israel’s qualitative military edge, given Israel is the only Middle Eastern country operating F-35s and has used them in strikes in Iran in October 2024 and June 2025.Bradley Bowman of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies said Congress may now seek clarity on what assurances Riyadh has offered regarding its ties with China. He added that lawmakers are likely to press the administration on how it plans to maintain Israel’s military advantage in the region.
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