Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) of Saudi Arabia is in the U.S. for a meeting with President Donald Trump at the Oval Office, marking his first official trip to the country in over seven years. This visit signifies a complete reversal in Washington’s approach to the kingdom’s de facto leader and underscores the importance of the broader U.S.-Saudi relationship.
This shift has been developing for several years. Former President Joe Biden, upon assuming office in 2021, pledged to turn Saudi Arabia into a “pariah” following the murder of Washington Post journalist and U.S. resident Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. However, recognizing Saudi Arabia’s critical role in U.S. interests, the Biden Administration began to moderate its position. Biden visited the kingdom in 2022 and engaged in discussions. Trump’s return to the White House in January, coupled with evolving regional dynamics, is expediting the restoration of warmer relations with Riyadh. These ties extend beyond simple transactions and are expected to be lasting.
Trump’s foreign policy in his second term has definitively moved away from uneasy coexistence with an Iran-dominated region. Events since the attacks—which highlighted Tehran as a source of instability, along with proxies, , , and other militant groups—validated Saudi Arabia’s concerns about the threat posed by the Islamic Republic to regional stability. Trump has adopted a more aggressive stance toward the Middle East, including U.S. military actions in Iran in June. He also acknowledges the need to collaborate with a strong regional power like Saudi Arabia to promote stability in a rapidly changing Middle East.
Trump, always a negotiator, views Saudi Arabia as a valuable partner. His meeting with MBS will enable him to build on the momentum from his initial visit to Riyadh in May, where he secured significant business deals with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states. Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, aimed at diversifying its economy away from oil, requires U.S. expertise in innovation, technology transfer, and investment. Artificial intelligence is an area of growing mutual interest, and a summit will take place in Washington on Wednesday. Increased business integration between the two countries will make it more difficult for future U.S. presidents to reverse course on Saudi Arabia.
The U.S. also regards Saudi Arabia as its primary defense partner in the Arab world. Trump announced on Monday the sale of advanced weaponry to the kingdom. While the U.S. is unlikely to grant Saudi Arabia the same special status as Israel regarding defense commitments, a lasting U.S.-Saudi defense agreement to ensure the kingdom’s security is probable. Such an agreement would be more robust than Trump’s executive orders, which can be overturned by subsequent presidents.
Notably, neither Riyadh nor Washington is imposing political preconditions on their economic and security cooperation. The issue of Saudi Arabia’s normalization with Israel remains largely unresolved, as Riyadh insists that it can only occur with significant progress towards a two-state solution. Israel’s actions in September have also heightened concerns in Riyadh that Israel contributes to regional instability. Saudi Arabia and the U.S. implicitly recognize that these issues should not impede their strengthening relationship.
Economic transformation in Saudi Arabia will have a ripple effect across the region, creating increased opportunities for employment, reconstruction, investment, and skills development. These factors are crucial for conflict prevention, humanitarian aid, and stabilization—economic development plays a key role in stabilizing post-conflict societies.
However, the success of Saudi Arabia’s own economic prosperity depends on the stability of the surrounding region. Economic incentives arising from the partnership with the U.S. can thus serve as a catalyst for closer collaboration toward achieving long-term stability in the Middle East.
Therefore, while politics may not be the central theme of MBS’s visit to Washington, it remains a fundamental aspect of the U.S.-Saudi relationship. With the regional order no longer dominated by Iran, Washington recognizes that its best path to stability in the Middle East involves cultivating strong ties with Riyadh. The anticipated economic and defense agreements resulting from the visit will further pave the way for a significant political realignment in the Middle East.
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