The United States has approved a $3.5 billion sale of missiles to Saudi Arabia, just days ahead of President Donald Trump’s scheduled visit to the Gulf region — his first international trip in his second term.
Trump is expected to meet with leaders of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) — comprising Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and Oman — during a summit in Riyadh from May 13 to 16. The visit will also include stops in Qatar and the UAE, according to a source close to the Saudi government who spoke anonymously due to media restrictions.
The approved arms deal, confirmed on Friday, is likely to bolster Saudi Arabia’s defense posture amid heightened regional tensions, particularly as US-Iran nuclear talks have stalled.
“The purpose of the Riyadh summit is to strengthen political and economic cooperation between the United States and the GCC countries,” the source stated.
President Trump has often highlighted his administration’s success in securing substantial commercial and defense agreements with oil-rich Gulf nations, and Saudi Arabia has been a key intermediary in US diplomatic efforts involving both Russia and Iran.
The missile deal and Trump’s visit come amid renewed geopolitical uncertainty, with the US and Iran recently delaying another round of indirect negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program. Trump, who withdrew the US from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, has called for tougher sanctions and an international boycott of Iranian oil and petrochemicals.
Meanwhile, speculation continues around Trump’s efforts to broker a normalization agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel — a move akin to the Abraham Accords signed during his first term. However, Riyadh has maintained that any such deal would be contingent on a resolution to the ongoing war in Gaza.
As Trump prepares to re-engage with Gulf allies, the missile sale underscores continued US military and strategic interest in the region, despite global shifts and rising diplomatic challenges.
