Saudi Arabia 'in talks with US on defence pact' ahead of MBS visit

Saudi Arabia is negotiating a defence agreement with the United States that Riyadh hopes to finalise during Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s expected White House visit next month, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. 

A senior Trump administration official told the newspaper there are “discussions about signing something when the crown prince comes, but the details are in flux.”

According to the FT, the prospective accord is similar to the recent US–Qatar pact, which pledges to treat any armed attack on Qatar as a threat to the United States. The paper said the Qatar deal followed Israel’s attempt last month to kill Hamas leaders in an air strike on Doha.

The US State Department told the FT that defence co-operation with the kingdom was a "strong bedrock of our regional strategy," but declined to comment on details of the potential deal.

The US State Department, the White House and the Saudi government did not respond to a Reuters request for comment on the FT report.

Last month, Saudi Arabia signed a mutual defence pact with nuclear-armed Pakistan.

Riyadh and Islamabad signed the mutual defence pact on September 17, significantly strengthening a decades-old security partnership, a week after Israel's strikes on Qatar upended the diplomatic calculus in the region.

The agreement states that "any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both," a statement from the prime minister's office and the state-run Saudi Press Agency had mentioned.

"This agreement ... aims to develop aspects of defence cooperation between the two countries and strengthen joint deterrence against any aggression," the statement said.

The deal was signed by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Riyadh, where Pakistan's top official was accorded a warm welcome.

Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump pledged to treat any armed attack on Qatar as a threat to the United States' own security, according to a document that says US forces could step in to defend the Middle Eastern nation.

Qatar welcomed Trump's order, describing it as a milestone in strengthening defence ties and bilateral cooperation, its foreign ministry said.

The executive order, which appears to significantly deepen the US commitment to Qatar, comes after Israel last month attempted to kill leaders of Hamas with an airstrike on Doha.

That strike, launched with little advance notice to the Trump administration, caused consternation in Washington, given the close US relationship with Qatar, which hosts the largest US military base in the region.

"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 said.

"In the event of such an attack, the United States shall take all lawful and appropriate measures — including diplomatic, economic and, if necessary, military — to defend the interests of the United States and of the State of Qatar and to restore peace and stability."

The document said top US defence and intelligence officials will maintain contingency planning with Qatar to ensure a rapid response to any attacks.