Saudi Arabia is negotiating a defence pact with the United States, with both sides aiming to finalize the agreement during Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s upcoming visit to the White House next month.
End of Petrodollar Update: Saudi Arabia in talks with US for long sought defence pact, just weeks after Qatar secured its own agreement with Washingtonhttps://t.co/PQozKeNiEz via @ft
— Richard Casey (@RichardTCasey) October 17, 2025
According to reports, the potential deal could mirror the recent US-Qatar pact, under which Washington pledged to treat any armed attack on Qatar as a direct threat to the US. The agreement would mark a major step in deepening US-Saudi security ties amid heightened regional tensions following Israel’s airstrike attempt on Hamas leaders in Doha last month.
A senior US official told the FT that “discussions are ongoing” but that “details remain in flux.” The US State Department described defence cooperation with Riyadh as a “strong bedrock of our regional strategy,” though it declined to confirm specifics.
The move follows Saudi Arabia’s landmark mutual defence pact with Pakistan, signed in September, which commits both nations to respond jointly against external aggression. Analysts say the kingdom’s expanding network of defence agreements reflects a strategic push for collective security in response to escalating regional volatility and shifting US engagement in the Middle East.
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