In a historic visit to the United States in November 2025, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister His Royal Highness Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud received a formal military welcaome ceremony at the White House.
The one-day official visit culminated in the finalization of several landmark agreements on arms sales, civil nuclear cooperation, artificial intelligence and critical minerals. Saudi Arabia also earned the designation as a Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA) of the United States.
MNNA status provides a U.S. partner with military and economic advantages such as access to U.S. defense technologies, joint military training and easier arms procurement. Additionally, the MNNA sets the stage for expanded cooperation in intelligence sharing, cybersecurity and counterterrorism.
“We are taking our military cooperation to even greater heights,” U.S. President Donald Trump said during a formal dinner at the White House in honor of the Saudi Crown Prince.
The countries also signed deals worth billions of dollars, including the Saudi purchase of advanced computer chips to power AI infrastructure. U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud signed a Joint Declaration on the Completion of Negotiations on Civil Nuclear Cooperation.
“Today is a historic day for the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We’ve come together on a deal for civil nuclear cooperation. Together, with bilateral safeguard agreements, we want to grow our partnership, bring American nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia and keep a firm commitment to nonproliferation,” read a statement released by Secretary Wright.
In exchange, Saudi Arabia pledged to spend $1 trillion in the U.S., up from the $600 billion originally committed during President Trump’s tour of Arabian Gulf states in
May 2025. Sources: CNBC, Reuters, The White House, U.S. Department of Energy