MBS's US Trip: Saudi Crown Prince wants a Qatar-like defence pact with Washington

Weeks after the US signed a pact with Qatar in which it pledged to guarantee Qatar’s security, Saudi Arabia too is eyeing a similar pact with Washington. Saudi Crown Prince is also set to visit the US capital next month in the hope to seal the deal, according to a report.

Saudi Arabia hopes that the pact will be robust and will include enhanced military and intelligence co-operation, Financial Times quoted unnamed sources.

Though the US or Saudi authorities are yet to announce anything, a senior Trump administration official confirmed the reports. He told Financial Times that discussions were on about “signing something” when MBS arrives in Washington, but “details are in flux”.

This is a major development since Saudi Arabia has been seeking a defence pact with the US for a long time. It had negotiated a defence treaty with the Biden administration for years in lieu of joining the Abraham Accords, but the programme had to be halted after Hamas launched the October 7 attacks. The Kingdom now holds the view that it would normalise relations with Israel only  after the formation of a Palestinian state, an idea unpalatable for Israel. That leaves Saudi Arabia with the option of chasing a standalone deal.

This could either come through an agreement or an executive order, according to the FT report.

“I’m expecting, on the back end of the executive order with Qatar, that there  will be similar progress on defence and security issues,” Firas Maksad,  Washington-based managing director for the Middle East and North Africa at Eurasia Group, told the FT. “They are working on something . . . I understand it’s something much more robust than what already exists,” he added.

Both countries share a warm relationship as the Kingdom is one of the biggest buyers of US weapons. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has business ties with Saudi Arabia, with his recent purchase of the world's largest video game company, Electronic Arts. The group that bought the EA includes Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) Affinity Partners, owned by Kushner.

That said, the pact won’t be easy. “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.

 

Middle East