Saudi Arabia is in discussions with the United States over a defence agreement that could be finalised during Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman\u2019s expected visit to the White House next month, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. A senior official from the Trump administration told the FT that there were \u201ctalks about signing something when the crown prince arrives, but the details are still being worked out.\u201d According to the report, the proposed deal would resemble the recent US-Qatar defence pact, under which Washington pledged to treat any armed attack on Qatar as a threat to the United States. That agreement came shortly after Israel\u2019s air strike on Doha last month, which targeted senior Hamas leaders. The US State Department described defence cooperation with Saudi Arabia as a \u201cstrong bedrock of our regional strategy,\u201d but declined to provide details about the possible agreement. Neither the State Department, the White House, nor the Saudi government responded to Reuters\u2019 request for comment on the FT report. Last month, Saudi Arabia signed a mutual defence pact with Pakistan, deepening a decades-long security partnership between the two allies. The pact, signed on September 17 by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Riyadh, declared that \u201cany aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both.\u201d The agreement aimed to strengthen defence cooperation and bolster joint deterrence capabilities against potential threats. Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump also pledged to view any armed attack on Qatar as a threat to US security a stance formalised in a recent defence document allowing American forces to defend the Gulf nation if needed. Qatar welcomed Trump’s order, describing it as a milestone in strengthening defence ties and bilateral cooperation, its foreign ministry said. The executive order, which appears to significantly deepen the US commitment to Qatar, comes after Israel last month attempted to kill leaders of Hamas with an airstrike on Doha. That strike, launched with little advance notice to the Trump administration, caused consternation in Washington, given the close US relationship with Qatar, which hosts the largest US military base in the region. “The United States shall regard any armed attack on the territory, sovereignty, or critical infrastructure of the State of Qatar as a threat to the peace and security of the United States,” the order said. “In the event of such an attack, the United States shall take all lawful and appropriate measures including diplomatic, economic and, if necessary, military \u2014 to defend the interests of the United States and of the State of Qatar and to restore peace and stability.” The document said top US defence and intelligence officials will maintain contingency planning with Qatar to ensure a rapid response to any attacks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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