With US-Saudi defense pact stalled, Trump eyes civilian nuclear deal
Negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program have placed the Trump administration's strategic approach to the Middle East in a holding pattern.
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration and its predecessors over the past decade-plus have prepared a bevy of deliverables for Gulf monarchies in hopes of shoring up American strategic influence in the Middle East in lieu of maintaining a large military footprint in the region.
Regionally integrated air defense architecture, decoupling Russia from OPEC+, building an “Arab NATO” to counter Iran’s ballistic missile threats, Saudi Arabia’s historic normalization of ties with Israel — each grand proposal has fallen short, even as Washington continually seeks to concentrate its forces in Asia in the coming decades to counter China.
Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, continues to seek recognition as a top player on the world stage, viewing a civil nuclear program and a defense pact with Washington as key to achieving that.
Despite near-completion by the Biden administration, a US-Saudi defense pact remains out of reach for now due to Congress’ insistence on Saudi-Israel normalization first. That, in turn, remains not politically feasible for Riyadh due to Israeli leaders’ refusal to end the war in Gaza and allow for steps toward national self-determination of the Palestinians, analysts and former US officials say.
