Barsam Mohammadi – Regional Affairs Expert
Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, visited the White House on November 18 during an official trip. Saudi political and media circles, as well as regional currents aligned with Riyadh, have described this trip as a significant achievement for Saudi foreign policy and a sign of the depth of the Riyadh-Washington strategic relationship.
This trip is bin Salman’s first visit to America since 2018 and differs fundamentally from previous visits. This time, the main objective goes beyond diplomatic formalities. It is to solidify a process that has begun under the title of strategic partnership in the relations between the two countries.
In 2018, the Saudi Crown Prince’s trip to America lasted about three weeks and was both persuasive and communicative. Bin Salman sought to explain his doctrine of domestic and foreign policy to influential American institutions and elites across the political, economic, cultural, and media domains. But today the situation is different; Saudi Arabia has witnessed extensive changes in social, political, economic, and cultural spheres in recent years, and no longer feels the need to present itself as a country undergoing reform. Now, Riyadh is trying to rely on developments in the global and regional order to present itself as a stable and powerful partner of America, a concept that Trump understood well and is currently selling this partnership to Saudi Arabia at a high cost.
Saudi Arabia’s Effort for a Defense Agreement with America
The critical question is whether this partnership can remain stable in American foreign policy. Bin Salman is well aware of the challenge posed by serious criticisms of Saudi Arabia among Democrats. Therefore, one of his key objectives in this trip was to transform the interdependence with Washington into a formal defense framework.
This effort shows that Riyadh is cautious and sensitive to fluctuations arising from American electoral cycles and seeks to establish a relationship that endures despite changes in administrations. Within this framework, Saudi Arabia’s most ambitious goal is to conclude a binding defense agreement that ties the country’s security to America’s national interests, meaning that an attack on Saudi Arabia would be a red line for Washington. However, achieving such an agreement faces serious obstacles within America and the region. Without the consent of the Zionist regime, which considers itself America’s only strategic ally, Saudi Arabia will not easily obtain such a concession.
Bin Salman’s recent trip to America was carried out to operationalize the agreements from Trump’s visit to Riyadh. The core of the negotiations focused on three areas: finance, energy, and artificial intelligence. The increased energy demand of data centers related to AI and its role in realizing Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 has doubled the importance of energy cooperation.
However, the path of cooperation is not without obstacles. Reports indicate that before the two sides’ meeting, American officials reviewed national security considerations regarding the transfer of data, technologies, and AI chips. This issue shows Washington’s sensitivity towards deep technological cooperation with Riyadh.
The Prospect of Normalizing Relations with the Israeli Regime
Another main axis of the talks was the issue of normalizing relations with the Zionist regime. Although Washington pursues this as a long-term goal, Riyadh appears unwilling to normalize without specific political guarantees regarding the future of Palestine, as well as key military and economic concessions, including the acquisition of advanced F-35 fighter jets. Saudi Arabia emphasizes that any move towards normalization must be accompanied by tangible developments in the situation in Gaza and the opening of a credible path for the future of the Palestinians. This very point delays formal normalization at least until after the 2026 elections of the Zionist regime.
The recent trip of the Saudi Crown Prince to America can be considered an important step in strengthening Riyadh’s regional position and institutionalizing the strategic partnership with Washington. However, achieving a binding defense agreement, removing domestic obstacles in American politics, and overcoming regional complexities are fundamental challenges in turning this trip into a real turning point.
Bin Salman has begun a new path to solidify Saudi Arabia’s role in regional and global balances, but whether this path becomes a lasting achievement or remains merely a diplomatic display depends on future developments in Washington-Riyadh relations, the situation in Palestine, and the role of the Israeli regime in regional security equations.
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