• MBS makes first visit to White House in more than seven years.
• Trump expects to build on a $600 billion Saudi investment pledge.
• Saudi priorities include defense, technology, nuclear power.
  

Saudi Arabia will invest up to $1 trillion in the United States, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told US President Donald Trump during their meeting at the White House on Tuesday.

“I believe, Mr President, in today and tomorrow, we can announce that we are going to increase that $600 billion to almost $1 trillion for investment, real investment, and real opportunity,” the prince said as he appeared with Trump in front of reporters at the Oval Office.

“Now, you’re saying to me now that the $600 billion will be $1 trillion?” Trump said, to which the Saudi royal replied: “Definitely.”

Earlier, Trump had welcomed Crown Prince to the White House, making his first White House visit in more than seven years.

He was greeted with a lavish display of pomp and ceremony presided over by Trump on the South Lawn.

Talks between the two leaders are expected to advance security ties, civil nuclear cooperation, and multibillion-dollar business deals with the kingdom. But there will likely be no major breakthrough on Saudi Arabia normalising ties with Israel, despite pressure from Trump for such a landmark move.

The meeting underscores a key relationship — between the world’s biggest economy and the top oil exporter — that Trump has made a high priority in his second term.

The warm welcome for bin Salman in Washington is the latest sign that relations have recovered from the deep strain.

During a day of White House diplomacy, bin Salman will hold talks with Trump in the Oval Office, have lunch in the Cabinet Room and attend a formal black-tie dinner in the evening, giving it many of the trappings of a state visit. US and Saudi flags festooned lamp posts in front of the White House.

Trump expects to build on a $600 billion Saudi investment pledge made during his visit to the kingdom in May, which will include the announcement of dozens of targeted projects, a senior US administration official said.

The US and Saudi Arabia were ready to strike deals on Tuesday for defence sales, enhanced cooperation on civil nuclear energy and a multibillion-dollar investment in US artificial intelligence infrastructure, the official said on condition of anonymity.

Trump told reporters on Monday, “We’ll be selling” F-35s to Saudi, which has requested to buy 48 of the advanced aircraft.

This would be the first US sale of the fighter jets to Saudi Arabia and mark a significant policy shift. The deal could alter the military balance in the Middle East and test Washington’s definition of maintaining what the US has termed Israel’s “qualitative military edge.” Until now, Israel has been the only country in the Middle East to have the F-35.

Beyond military equipment, the Saudi leader is seeking new security guarantees. Most experts expect Trump to issue an executive order creating the kind of defence pact he recently gave to Qatar, but still short of the congressionally ratified NATO-style treaty the Saudis initially sought.

• MBS makes first visit to White House in more than seven years.
• Trump moves to consolidate growing bromance with Saudi leader.
• Saudi priorities include defense, technology, nuclear power.
  

Donald Trump on Tuesday hailed Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman $1 trillion investment pledge as the US president laid on a lavish welcome at the White House.

Trump moved to consolidate his growing bromance with the Saudi leader, who is at the Oval Office for the first time in seven years, giving him a parade of soldiers on horseback and a military flypast featuring F-35 jets that he said Washington would soon sell to Riyadh.

Trump opened their White House meeting with praise for the prince’s “incredible” human rights record.

The heir to the throne then delighted Trump by announcing that he was increasing the $600 billion Saudi investment he promised Trump when the US president visited the country in May.

“We can announce that we are going to increase that $600 billion to almost $1 trillion for investment,” Prince Mohammed said in the Oval Office.

A grinning Trump asked him to confirm the figure, to which the Saudi royal replied: “Definitely.”

Rose Garden tour

Trump pulled out all the stops for the Saudi prince, giving him treatment normally reserved for a state visit to the White House, despite the fact that he is not a head of state.

He welcomed bin Salman — who is widely known as MBS — on the South Lawn of the White House as cannon fire boomed out, before they watched the noisy flypast by US military jets.

The 79-year-old Republican then showed the prince a new gallery of presidential portraits by the Rose Garden — including one portraying his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden as an autopen.

Trump has accused an ageing Biden of using the automated device to sign presidential pardons, and questioned their legality.

Later in the day, First Lady Melania Trump will hold a gala dinner.

Portugal soccer legend Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays in Saudi Arabia, will also be at the White House for the gala day of events, a White House official told AFP.

The president has made a priority of boosting ties with the oil-rich Gulf kingdom, particularly as he seeks to turn the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza into a longer-lasting regional peace.

Trump said he had pushed the prince to normalise relations with Israel as part of the Abraham Accords that he launched in his first term.

Prince Mohammed said he was working to do so “as soon as possible” but insisted on securing a “clear path of two-state solution” for a Palestinian state first.

Civil nuclear deal

Trump meanwhile reiterated his intention to sell Saudi Arabia coveted F-35 stealth fighters, despite concerns from Israel and warnings from US officials that China could steal technological knowledge about the jets.

In another area of past contention, Trump will sign a deal on a framework for civilian nuclear cooperation, a US official and a source familiar with the negotiations said.

The 40-year-old prince has fostered close ties with Trump and his family over the years, including through investment pledges to the property billionaire-turned-US president.

DUBAI: Pakistan’s JF-17 Thunder emerged as a major crowd-puller at the Dubai Air Show, drawing steady footfall from aviation enthusiasts, defence professionals and families, and reinforcing Pakistan’s growing profile in regional aerospace.

The JF-17 display featured a full weapons fit, including air-to-air and air-to-surface munitions, which became a focal point for visitors.

International defence experts were seen examining the loadout and engaging with Pakistani personnel about performance, maintenance, and export viability.

Dubai Police officers also posed for photos with the aircraft and pilots, reflecting the exhibit’s strong public appeal.

The aircraft, displayed in Pakistan Air Force colours with the green crescent flag, received continuous attention throughout the day.

Observers praised the jet’s cost-effectiveness, multirole capability, and proven service record, noting its attraction for countries seeking reliable performance at competitive acquisition and lifecycle costs.

In contrast, India’s Tejas light combat aircraft attracted comparatively lighter footfall and remained largely unattended at its stand several hundred metres away.

Visitors were rarely seen gathering around the aircraft, according to observations on-site.

When asked by Geo News about the timing of an aerial display, a Pakistani pilot, standing by the JF-17, responded with a smile that the aircraft’s real demonstration had already been delivered in combat, suggesting further stunts were unnecessary.

The comment echoed the mood among Pakistan supporters at the show, who cited the jet’s operational record as evidence of capability.

Pakistan has asserted recent successes in air engagements against India, claims that have kept the programme in international discussion and underscored the JF-17’s frontline credibility.