Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is making a crucial journey to Washington this week, with enormous consequences not just for Middle Eastern diplomacy but for the political future of U.S. President Donald Trump.
White House Under Pressure
The timing of this high-stakes visit comes as the Trump administration faces significant domestic challenges. The White House continues to grapple with the aftermath of America's longest-ever government shutdown, while ongoing revelations from the Jeffrey Epstein case continue to create political headaches.
President Trump desperately needs a major foreign policy victory to shift attention from these domestic troubles, and the Saudi Crown Prince's visit represents his best opportunity.
Historical Context and Previous Deals
This Washington meeting follows President Trump's extensive Middle East tour in May 2025, which included a significant stop in Riyadh. During that visit, Trump and bin Salman solidified their relationship through more than a dozen agreements, including what was reported as the largest arms purchase ever between the two nations valued at $142 billion.
That trip also featured the controversial gift of a $400 million jumbo jet from Qatar to President Trump, which was viewed as a decorative backup to Air Force One.
The Abraham Accords Prize
The most significant potential outcome of this week's discussions involves Saudi Arabia potentially joining the Abraham Accords and establishing formal diplomatic relations with Israel. Such a development would represent the crowning achievement of Trump's Middle East policy.
Riyadh has historically maintained that establishment of a Palestinian state must precede any normalization with Jerusalem. However, international dynamics have shifted significantly, with major nations including Britain, Canada, France, and Australia recognizing Palestine at the UN earlier this year, despite opposition from both Israel and the United States.
The Trump administration appears to be using the potential sale of advanced F-35 fighter jets as leverage to bring Saudi Arabia into the Abraham Accords framework. The United States has previously only sold these advanced aircraft to Israel in the Middle East region.
Acquiring F-35s would significantly enhance Saudi air superiority over regional rival Iran while signaling a shift away from Israel's exclusive "most-favored" status in American foreign policy. Such a move would effectively dismantle what's known as Israel's "Qualitative Regional Edge" - the technological military advantage that successive American administrations have committed to preserving.
Additional discussions are expected to cover potential Trump-branded real estate developments within Saudi Arabia, further cementing the business relationships between the two leaders.
Middle East analysts note that Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and the UAE, played crucial roles in supporting the successful 12-day war against Iran this past spring. With Israel's conflict with Hamas in Gaza largely concluded, the conditions may be ripe for a broader regional realignment.
For President Trump, a Saudi-Israeli normalization agreement would not only represent a monumental foreign policy achievement but could potentially position him for that coveted Nobel Peace Prize he has long sought.
The stage is set for what could become one of the most significant diplomatic breakthroughs in recent Middle Eastern history, with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman potentially holding the key to rescuing President Trump's faltering political fortunes.
