US President Donald Trump has stunned observers by announcing that he will authorise the sale of F-35 stealth fighter jets to Saudi Arabia—a major shift in Middle Eastern defence policy where, until now, Israel has been the region’s only operator of the aircraft. The decision signals a potential transformation in the regional balance of power and raises questions about the strategic calculations behind Washington’s move.
Trump revealed the plan just hours before Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived in the United States, marking his first visit in seven years. Calling Saudi Arabia “a great ally,” Trump confirmed that Riyadh wants to buy the jets and that he intends to approve the request. The F-35, the most advanced fighter aircraft in the US arsenal, is designed for deep-strike missions, sophisticated electronic warfare and near-invisible radar signatures—capabilities that no other Arab state currently possesses.
The announcement was not an isolated goodwill gesture. Trump explicitly tied Saudi Arabia’s support for recent US missile strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities to his willingness to green-light the fighter sale. His remarks suggested a transactional approach: reward Riyadh for cooperating with Washington against Tehran.
The move, however, carries significant geopolitical sensitivity. Israel and Saudi Arabia have never shared formal diplomatic ties and have long been considered de facto rivals. For decades, the United States maintained a policy guaranteeing Israel’s “qualitative military edge” by limiting access to its most sophisticated weapons across the region. Approving Saudi access to the F-35 breaks with that long-standing precedent.
But US officials and Middle East analysts believe Trump’s calculation is tied to a more ambitious diplomatic goal: securing Saudi Arabia’s entry into the Abraham Accords. Expanding the accords—signed in 2020 by Israel and several Arab nations—has become one of Trump’s top foreign-policy priorities since returning to power. Bringing Saudi Arabia, the most influential Arab state, into the framework would be the crown jewel of the initiative and a monumental geopolitical prize.
Israel’s silence following Trump’s F-35 announcement is seen as telling. Instead of opposing the sale, Israel appears willing to prioritise the prospect of normalisation with Riyadh, particularly after years of diplomatic isolation and global criticism over its conduct in Gaza. Gaining a strategic relationship with Saudi Arabia would outweigh the risks of Riyadh obtaining the same aircraft.
The United States also has its own strategic motivations. For years, Washington hesitated to sell the F-35 to Saudi Arabia because of fears that its advanced technology could leak to China. Saudi Arabia maintains close ties with Beijing, including defence and technology partnerships. By placing the F-35 offer on the table, the Trump administration hopes to pull Riyadh firmly away from China’s orbit and re-anchor it within the US-led security structure.
Whether the plan will succeed is uncertain. Saudi Arabia has repeatedly said it will only normalise ties with Israel if there is a credible pathway to Palestinian statehood—a demand Israel continues to reject. Yet even without a formal agreement, the F-35 offer highlights a dramatic shift: Washington is recalibrating its Middle East strategy, Riyadh is edging closer to a historic diplomatic realignment, and Israel’s long-held military exclusivity is no longer guaranteed.
