The United States State Department has approved a potential $24.3 billion military sale of advanced F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, alongside a separate civil nuclear energy agreement submitted to Congress that hinges on regional normalization with Israel.
A major diplomatic and military push by Washington has brought two transformative agreements into play for the Middle East. While executive branch approvals clear the path for advanced American defense technology to reach Riyadh, significant political hurdles remain in Washington and abroad regarding non-proliferation standards and regional security balances.
The $24.3 Billion F-35 Fighter Jet Approval
The United States State Department approved a potential $24.3 billion sale of advanced military aircraft to Saudi Arabia, marking a crucial milestone in Riyadh’s multi-year effort to acquire the fifth-generation stealth fighters. The proposed package includes 48 F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter aircraft, alongside 49 Pratt & Whitney F135-PW-100 engines, essential communications gear, specialized software, spare parts, and support equipment.
According to an official State Department statement, the transaction will improve Saudi Arabia’s capability to deter current and future threats by strengthening its homeland defense and improving interoperability with US forces and other regional and NATO forces.
President Donald Trump first announced the initiative in November 2025 prior to a White House meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Crown Prince Mohammed has sought the high-performance aircraft for years as part of a broader military modernization that currently relies on an existing fleet of F-15s and Eurofighter Typhoons. The aircraft are manufactured by American defense giant Lockheed Martin.
The defense package must still navigate the formal Foreign Military Sales process, which includes a 30-day congressional review period. Lawmakers can attempt to block the arrangement through a joint resolution of disapproval, though a presidential veto would require a two-thirds majority in both chambers of Congress to override.
Congressional Review of the Civil Nuclear Agreement
Parallel to the arms sale, the executive branch has formally transmitted a proposed civil nuclear energy agreement with Saudi Arabia to Capitol Hill. Reached initially in July, the thirty-year pact would authorize American corporations to export civilian nuclear technology to the kingdom, including the construction of AP1000 reactors—a project projected to generate tens of billions of dollars in economic value and directly benefit Westinghouse, which is jointly owned by Brookfield Asset Management and Canada’s Cameco.
Congressional leaders received the paperwork, initiating a statutory window of 90 days of session for legislative examination. If lawmakers fail to block the pact within that timeframe, it will take effect, though the president retains veto power over any opposing legislation.
However, the nuclear proposal faces intense pushback from non-proliferation advocates and certain legislators. Critics point out that the text does not explicitly prohibit Saudi Arabia from enriching uranium or reprocessing nuclear waste—activities that represent potential pathways to weapons development. By contrast, the United Arab Emirates accepted strict non-proliferation limits known as the estándar de oro
(gold standard) during its 2009 civil nuclear pact with Washington.
Normalization Demands and Regional Security Dynamics
The operational future of the nuclear pact remains tied to complex regional diplomacy, particularly the normalization of relations with Israel. Administration officials maintain that the nuclear agreement will only enter into force if Riyadh joins the Abraham Accords, echoing normalization deals struck between 2020 and 2021 with Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, and Sudan.
These diplomatic efforts build on prior negotiations pursued during the administration of former President Joe Biden, which sought a comprehensive security arrangement linking regional normalization to defense pacts. Those diplomatic channels stalled following the outbreak of the war in Gaza in October 2023. Riyadh continues to insist upon a concrete pathway toward a Palestinian state before establishing formal ties with Israel.
Additional complications involve geopolitical competition and regional security balances. Intelligence concerns have surfaced regarding China’s growing technological and military ties with Saudi Arabia, with warnings that sensitive defense technology could be vulnerable to espionage. Simultaneously, Israeli officials have raised questions regarding the protection of Israel’s qualitative military edge, as Tel Aviv remains the sole operator of the F-35 in the Middle East.
