With reduced Iranian threat, MBS visit seeks to advance F-35 deal, boost Saudi-US ties
The Trump administration isn't likely to persuade Saudi Arabia's crown prince to normalize ties with Israel by the time they meet Tuesday, but analysts say piecemeal defense deals may now be on the table after Iran has been weakened by its war with Israel.
WASHINGTON — Less than two months after Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman last set foot in Washington in March 2018, then President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from a multinational accord designed to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Trump’s decision set off a chain of events that ultimately led the Pentagon to launch long-range naval and air strikes decimating Iran’s ability to enrich uranium this past June.
The strikes, combined with blistering Israeli air offensives that killed top Iranian commanders and affiliated militia leaders from Lebanon to Tehran, have significantly altered the region’s balance of power, leaving Prince Mohammed's primary rival, Iran, with its weakest hand in decades, US officials say.
As the Saudi crown prince prepares to meet with Trump at the White House on Tuesday, that shift could help grease the wheels of a long-stalled push by Washington to persuade him to establish diplomatic relations with Israel for the first time.
