US President Donald Trump visited the Middle Eastern “Custodian of Wealth”– Saudi Arabia on 13 May, 2025. As the 47th US President, it was the first official visit of President Trump to any nation-state. This visit held strategic significance as the Middle East’s political, economic, and strategic environment is evolving. Being the world’s largest producer of energy resources, i.e., oil and gas, Saudi Arabia has always attracted foreign investment, especially from the West. This complex interplay of relations between the world’s superpower–the US, and the regional economic giant–the KSA is at the core of geo-economics in the international arena.
Saudi Arabia has always been one of the most important segments of the US foreign policy objectives regarding Middle Eastern affairs. The wide network of violent non-state actors, i.e., Hezbollah, Houthis, ISIS, Al-Qaeda, etc., is a clear threat to the security of the critical trade routes and choke points in the Middle East.
Significant commerce routes include the Strait of Hormuz, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the Suez Canal, the Bosporus Strait, and the Persian Gulf. The safety and security of these pathways are crucial for maintaining global economic balance. As of 2024, US trade with the Gulf States reached $19.1 billion, which highlights the importance of these Arab states for the US monopoly over trade and commerce.
Historical Overview: US-KSA Ties
The first ever visit of any US President to Saudi Arabia dates back to the era of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who paid an official high-level visit to meet with Saudi King Abdul Aziz. This visit resulted in an “oil-security” pact between the two states, which allowed the Saudi government to export its energy resources, especially oil, to the West in exchange for security guarantees from the US. During the Cold War, the US facilitated the Saudi government with strategic assistance and military training.
Historical defense agreements include the Dhahran Airfield Agreement, Mutual Defense Assistance Agreement, and Technical Cooperation Agreement.
Roosevelt Era
This visit concluded with the Concession Agreement with Standard Oil of California (SOCAL), an Arabian-American oil company established to formally begin the strategic partnership.
Harry Truman Era
During the Cold War, the Saudi government procured various defense and security agreements with the Truman administration. In 1951, two important agreements were concluded between the two states, including the Mutual Defense Assistance Agreement and the Dhahran Airbase Agreement. MDDA provided security guarantees to Saudi Arabia, whereas the Dhahran agreement provided the US with access to Saudi air bases during the Cold War.
George W. Bush Era
The 9/11 incident changed the relational dynamics between the US and Saudi Arabia, with the allegations of involvement of Saudi-based terrorists in the attack. Resultantly, the Saudi government provided the CIA with intelligence and counterterrorism assistance in eliminating the terrorist cells and networks operating in the region.
Donald Trump Era
Under President Trump, in 2017, the US signed a historic arms deal worth $110 billion with its Saudi counterparts. With this agreement, Saudi Arabia became the largest arms importer, with approximately 12 % of its arms exports coming from the US.
Major Arms Deals
Saudi Arabia had procured various defense pacts from the US, which are considered milestones in history. The initial major arms deal was in 1951, when both countries signed a Mutual Defense Assistance Agreement and created the Dhahran Airfield for US military usage. During the Cold War, especially in the 1970s oil boom, Saudi Arabia applied its increasing revenues to modernize the army, buying American aircraft, missile defense systems, and advanced surveillance equipment.
Signature transactions involved the 1978 AWACS agreement and bulk orders of F-15 fighter aircraft. The partnership intensified following the 1990-91 Gulf War, with the United States becoming the kingdom’s main defense provider. In the 2000s, arms sales also included missile defense systems such as the Patriot, Apache helicopters, and modernization of already-existing air fleets. A significant shift occurred in 2010, when the Obama administration authorized a $60 billion arms package, the biggest in US history up to that point. President Trump followed this by his 2017 visit, which reported prospective arms sales of $110 billion.
Trump’s 2025 Visit to KSA: Key Takeaways
Being a business-minded person, President Trump has always valued money and wealth over other things. For this reason, his initial interest lies with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states. Being wealthy Middle Eastern nations, these states allow the US to conclude economic and defense agreements.
During President Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia on 13 May 2025, he concluded a $142 billion defense deal with Saudi counterparts, including the procurement of modern and advanced defense capabilities, land and air forces modernization, and robust intelligence sharing mechanisms.
There is a wealthy and healthy relationship between Saudi Arabia and the US is the real binding force between the two states. The US obtains immense wealth in return for Saudi Arabia’s procurement of security and defence pacts. Recently, the US also signed a Comprehensive Economic Agreement with KSA to procure infrastructural developments, energy deals, and technological advancements.
Another prominent feature of this visit was President Trump’s sideline meetup with the interim leader of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa. This dialogue holds significant value in the international arena as the current government of Syria has long been designated as a terrorist organization by the US and the West. President Trump unilaterally terminated all the imposed sanctions on Syria, with the hope of Syrian post-conflict reconstruction and the establishment of a just, democratic, and liberal government. A prominent US official, Edward Fishman, argued that terminating a long list of sanctions would be difficult and would take months to reduce these sanctions and embargoes.
During this visit, President Trump once again tried to revive the historic Abraham Accords to include Saudi Arabia in Israel’s peace-building and normalization process.
Compelling the Saudi counterparts, President Trump said, “It is his dream for Saudi Arabia to join Abraham accords, but you will do it when the time will come.” This statement depicts the skeptical nature of the Arab-Israel issue and Israeli atrocities in Palestine. Giving hope of ending the Israel-Palestine conflict, Trump mentioned the release of an American-Israeli hostage, Edan Alexander, by Hamas as a positive gesture and stated that the US will try its best to end the hostilities between Israel and Palestine.
Saudi-US Investment Forum – 2025
Aramco Deals
A Saudi firm named Aramco concluded approximately 34 agreements with US counterparts, reaching an investment of up to $90 billion. Different corporations and companies will collaborate with each other, including Nvidia, AMD, Amazon Web Services, ExxonMobil, Qualcomm, BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, etc.
Humain
According to its Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia aspires to become a leading AI power generator. In this regard, the two states have concluded an investment plan of about $100 billion with the assistance of US firms. Nvidia and ADM have agreed to collaborate with Saudi Arabia’s Humain project.
Starlink Deal
Elon Musk’s Starlink has agreed to collaborate with Saudi Arabia on maritime and aviation platforms. Abdullah Alswaha, the Minister of Communications and IT in Saudi Arabia, declared Elon Musk the KSA’s long-term business partner.
Conclusion
The 2025 era represents a new turn in US–Saudi ties, marked by dynamic strategic collaborations amid shifting international dynamics. While energy cooperation and arms deals remain the bedrock of the bilateral relationship, the relationship now more profoundly denotes shared interests in regional stability, counterterrorism, and technological modernization.
The 2025 arms agreements and diplomatic contacts highlight a measured renewal of relations under common geopolitical interests, especially in response to increasing Chinese and Russian roles in the Middle East. Underlying tensions regarding issues like human rights and Yemen aside, both countries seem committed to maintaining a working and mutually useful alliance. As Washington tries to redefine its role in the Gulf and Riyadh pursues its Vision 2030 plan, the US–Saudi alliance remains a bedrock of regional diplomacy, security, and economic interdependence.
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The views and opinions expressed in this article/paper are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Paradigm Shift.
He is pursuing a BS in International Relations programme from International Islamic University, Islamabad and has a keen interest in research works, policy analysis, defence and strategic studies and conflict resolution.