Trump signals possible return to nuclear testing, weighs F-35 deal with Saudis

• Trump last month ordered resumption of nuclear weapons testing.
• Says Saudi Ariabia want to buy lot of jets and he is looking into it.
• Trump lawyers threatened to sue the BBC for damages of up to $1bn.

The United States will resume nuclear testing in line with other nations, President Donald Trump said on Friday, while also confirming he is weighing a potential agreement to supply Saudi Arabia with F-35 fighter jets.

 He did not clarify whether the testing plans involve detonating a nuclear warhead.

“I don’t want to tell you about that, but we will do nuclear testing like other countries,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he travelled to Florida for the weekend.

Trump last month ordered the US military to immediately restart the process for testing nuclear weapons after 33 years, making the surprise announcement on Truth Social while aboard his Marine One helicopter flying to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping for a trade-negotiating session in Busan, South Korea.

F-35s deal with Saudi Arabia in the offing

Trump also said on Friday that he is considering agreeing to a deal to supply Saudi Arabia with F-35 stealth fighter jets, which are made by Lockheed Martin.

“They wanna buy a lot of jets,” Trump told reporters.

“I’m looking at that. They’ve asked me to look at it. They want to buy a lot of ’35’ – but they want to buy actually more than that, fighter jets.”

The potential sale comes as Trump plans to host Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House next week, when they are expected to sign economic and defence agreements.

Asked about the talks, Trump told reporters it was “more than a meeting, we’re honouring” Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, President Trump is expected to reach a deal with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, allowing Riyadh to acquire F-35 stealth fighter jets, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing a White House official.

Trump and the crown prince plan to sign economic and defence agreements during a visit to the White House scheduled for Tuesday, the report added.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report.

A Pentagon intelligence report has raised concerns over the potential F-35 deal, warning that China could acquire the aircraft’s technology if the sale proceeds, the New York Times reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the assessment.

Legal action against BBC

President Donald Trump on Friday told reporters he will take legal action against the British Broadcasting Corporation next week.

The BBC sent a personal apology to President Trump on Thursday but said there was no legal basis for him to sue the public broadcaster over a documentary his lawyers called defamatory.

The documentary, which aired on the BBC’s “Panorama” news programme just before the US presidential election in 2024, spliced together three parts of Trump’s speech on January 6, 2021, when his supporters stormed the Capitol. The edit created the impression he had called for violence.

“While the BBC sincerely regrets the manner in which the video clip was edited, we strongly disagree that there is a basis for a defamation claim,” the broadcaster said in a statement.

Lawyers for the US president threatened on Sunday to sue the BBC for damages of up to $1 billion unless it withdrew the documentary, apologised to the president and compensated him for “financial and reputational harm.”