Saudi Arabia is in advanced negotiations with the United States over a landmark defense pact, with hopes of finalizing the deal during Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s expected visit to the White House next month, the Financial Times reported Friday, citing sources familiar with the matter.
The potential agreement would mirror the recent U.S.–Qatar defense pact, under which Washington pledged to treat any armed attack on Qatar as a direct threat to U.S. security. That pact was issued in response to an Israeli airstrike in Doha last month targeting Hamas leadership, which escalated tensions and prompted swift diplomatic fallout.
A senior Trump administration official acknowledged ongoing talks but said “the details are in flux,” suggesting final terms may depend on evolving geopolitical circumstances.
“The U.S.–Saudi defense relationship is a strong bedrock of our regional strategy,” a State Department spokesperson told the Financial Times, while declining to elaborate on the reported deal. The White House, State Department, and Saudi officials have not yet responded to Reuters’ requests for comment.
The U.S. negotiations follow a significant move by Riyadh last month, when it signed a mutual defense pact with Pakistan. The agreement, signed on September 17 by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, commits both nations to jointly deter and respond to any external aggression.
“This agreement aims to develop aspects of defence cooperation between the two countries and strengthen joint deterrence against any aggression,” the statement said.
The pact comes amid growing regional instability following Israel’s surprise strike on Doha, which caught Washington off-guard and rattled long-standing diplomatic balances.
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump issued an executive order pledging full U.S. defense of Qatar in the event of any armed attack. The move was widely seen as a response to the Israeli strike and as an effort to reinforce U.S. alliances in the Gulf.
“The United States shall regard any armed attack on the territory, sovereignty, or critical infrastructure of the State of Qatar as a threat to the peace and security of the United States,” the order stated. It also called for active contingency planning between U.S. and Qatari military and intelligence agencies.
Qatar’s foreign ministry welcomed the executive order, calling it a “milestone” in bilateral defense cooperation.
If finalized, the proposed Saudi–U.S. pact would mark a major shift in Gulf security architecture, potentially binding the U.S. to defend multiple Gulf states against external threats at a time of heightened Israeli assertiveness and growing concerns about Iranian influence.
