US to grant Saudi Arabia major non-NATO ally status to deepen defence ties

Trump made the announcement at a White House dinner honouring Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, after the two sides signed a new strategic defence agreement earlier in the day. He said the designation would lift bilateral military cooperation “to greater heights”.

Major non-NATO ally status provides eligible countries with closer defence coordination and priority access to certain US military systems and joint research programmes. Trump said the move follows Washington’s decision to proceed with the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia.

Twenty countries currently have the designation, including Israel, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Egypt, Tunisia and Jordan.

The White House said Saudi Arabia will expand defence purchases, including tanks and aircraft, and broaden cooperation with the United States in areas such as artificial intelligence and civil nuclear technology. Riyadh has also pledged to raise its investment commitments in the US economy.

The upgrade comes as Washington and Riyadh seek to move past strains that followed the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents in Istanbul, a case that had drawn sharp criticism from US lawmakers and rights groups.