Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received a warm welcome to the White House from US President Donald Trump, in a visit that highlights deepening ties between Riyadh and Washington.
The White House rolled out a literal red carpet for Prince Mohammed, known as MBS, on Tuesday. Trump was welcomed in a ceremony that featured a marching band, horsemen carrying flags and a military flyover.
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The lavish display of hospitality signaled President Trump’s embrace of a new Middle East driven by financial investment and U.S. partnership with allies in the region, primarily Saudi Arabia.
After Prince Mohammed arrived through the south portico, he and President Trump took questions from journalists in the Oval Office. The two leaders spoke about business opportunities, peace, artificial intelligence and technology business.
The region’s obvious challenges, such as the continuing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, appeared to take a backseat during his Oval Office appearance. Key takeaways from the meeting include:
‘Good talks’ about relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel
President Trump has repeatedly said in recent months that he wants Saudi Arabia to join the so-called Abraham Accords, which established formal relations between Israel and several Arab countries.
On Tuesday, Crown Prince Mohammed and President Trump hinted at the possibility of progress on the issue, although they did not provide details or timelines for a potential agreement. But the crown prince reiterated that Riyadh wants to move forward with the establishment of a Palestinian state as part of a potential deal.
“We believe that it is good to have good relations with all Middle Eastern countries, and we want to be part of the Abraham Accords,” Crown Prince Mohammed told reporters.
“But we also want to make sure we have a clear path forward.” [to a] Two-state solution. And what we said today is that we need to have a healthy discussion with the president and work on that so that we can prepare the right conditions for that as quickly as possible. ”
Saudi officials have previously emphasized that Riyadh is committed to an Arab peace initiative that would make the establishment of a Palestinian state a condition of recognizing Israel.
President Trump said he had a “good discussion” with Prince Mohammed on the issue.
“We talked about one state, two states. We talked about many things. We will discuss this issue further in a short period of time,” the president said.
President Trump hints that defense deal is close
Asked whether the United States and Saudi Arabia had reached a defense agreement, President Trump said, “We’ve pretty much reached an agreement. We’ve reached an agreement on that.”
Details of the negotiations are not clear, but Riyadh is seeking a mutual defense pact with Washington similar to NATO Article 5, under which the United States would come to the rescue if Saudi Arabia were attacked.
President Trump confirmed on Monday that he would approve the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia.
In a meeting with MBS, he said Israel would not downgrade its fighter jets to ensure Israel’s military superiority in the region, calling it a departure from the US policy known as “qualitative military superiority.”
“They want you to buy a downsized plane. I don’t think that will please you very much,” he told the Saudi crown prince.
“They’re a great ally. Israel is a great ally and we’re just looking at that right now. But as far as I’m concerned, I think both countries are at a level where they should be at the top.”
President Trump: “Iran wants a deal”
President Trump reiterated his pride in the US attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities in June.
“We did it on behalf of everyone, and the results were extraordinary because we had the best pilots, the best equipment, the best airplanes, and everything was the best,” he said.
The US president then took a softer tone toward Iran, saying the country was seeking a diplomatic solution with the US government, which is seeking to dismantle its nuclear program.
“I’m fully open to that and I’m talking to them about it,” Trump said.
“And we will start the process. But it would be good to get an agreement with Iran. We could have done it before the war, but it didn’t work out. And I think something will happen there.”
Saudi Arabia’s state news agency SPA reported that MBS received a handwritten letter from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to him before his visit to Washington. Details about its contents are not available.
On Tuesday, Prince Mohammed said Saudi Arabia supports the US-Iran deal.
“We will do everything in our power to help forge an agreement between the United States and Iran,” he told reporters.
“And we believe that a good deal that satisfies the region, the world and the United States is good for Iran’s future.”
The investment amount is 1 trillion dollars?
At the beginning of the two leaders’ public address, President Trump expressed gratitude for Saudi Arabia’s anticipated investment in the United States, which he said was in the hundreds of billions of dollars.
President Trump said, “I want to thank him for agreeing to invest $600 billion in the United States. And he’s a friend of mine, so he could make $1 trillion, but I have to work for him.”
He added that the Saudi fund will create jobs and resources for U.S. companies and Wall Street investment firms.
MBS said Saudi Arabia’s investment in the United States will likely increase to $1 trillion.
“The agreements we sign today in many areas, including technology, AI, rare materials and magnets, will create many investment opportunities,” he said.
The crown prince echoed President Trump’s assessment that the United States is currently the “hottest country” in the world, adding that Saudi Arabia wants to be part of America’s “emerging technology infrastructure.”
praise and smile
From the moment the crown prince arrived at the White House, President Trump and MBS were all smiles and exchanging complimentary comments.
At one point, Trump reached out and shook Crown Prince Mohammed’s hand, criticizing his predecessor, former US President Joe Biden, for only giving MBS a fist bump during a visit to Riyadh during the 2021 coronavirus pandemic.
“I grabbed that hand, and there will be no mercy where that hand was,” Trump said.
The US president described the Saudi crown prince as “amazing” and “amazing.”
“We have a very respected man in the Oval Office today, a very good friend of mine, a longtime friend,” Trump said.
“I’m so proud of the work he’s done. What he’s done is incredible in terms of human rights and everything else.”
The US president also rebuked an ABC News reporter for asking a challenging question to Prince Mohammed, accusing her of disrespecting his guest.
Later, when the same journalist asked President Trump why he would not voluntarily release government files on sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Trump said ABC News should have its broadcast license revoked.
Referring to his earlier questioning of MBS, Trump said, “It starts with a horribly disobedient and just awful question of a highly respected person.”
“And you could very well ask the exact same question. You’re excited. Someone at ABC got you excited. You’re going to get it excited. You’re a terrible person and a terrible reporter.”
At about the same time President Trump welcomed MBS, the US House of Representatives passed a bill forcing the release of the Epstein files.
