周二，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普在沙特王储穆罕默德·本·萨勒曼七年来首次访美期间愤怒地为他辩护，称沙特王室的所作所为“在以下方面令人难以置信”人类权利”并驳回了关于记者贾马尔·哈肖吉被谋杀的问题。
美国情报部门表示，众所周知，MBS批准了一项导致《华盛顿邮报》专栏作家兼沙特评论家Khashoggi在伊斯坦布尔被沙特特工谋杀的行动，引起了全球的愤怒。
“事情发生了，但他对此一无所知，我们可以就此打住，”当王子被问及Khashoggi被杀一事时，特朗普插话说。
在特朗普以奢华的抵达仪式欢迎MBS来到白宫后，椭圆形办公室进行了交流，完成了挂满旗帜的红地毯和载有美国和沙特国旗的美国军方仪仗队。
特朗普就记者死亡为MBS辩护
当美国广播公司新闻部首席白宫记者玛丽·布鲁斯(Mary Bruce)问及卡舒吉被谋杀以及9/11家庭因沙特阿拉伯涉嫌参与袭击而对此次访问表达的愤怒时，特朗普愤怒地告诉布鲁斯，“你没有必要让我们的客人尴尬，问这样的问题。”
“就这位先生而言，他做了非凡的工作，”特朗普谈到王子时说。
“你提到了一个极具争议的人，”特朗普在提到Khashoggi时说。“很多人不喜欢你谈论的那位绅士，不管你喜欢他还是不喜欢他，事情都会发生，但他对此一无所知，我们可以就此罢休，”他谈到MBS时说。
王储此前否认下令谋杀Khashoggi，但最终承认作为王国事实上的统治者负有责任。
2021年，一个报告来自美国情报部门的发现，“我们评估认为沙特阿拉伯王储穆罕默德·本·萨勒曼(Muhammad bin Salman)批准了在土耳其伊斯坦布尔抓捕或击毙沙特记者贾马尔·哈肖吉(Jamal Khashoggi)的行动。"
它补充说，“王储认为Khashoggi是对王国的威胁，并广泛支持在必要时使用暴力手段让他闭嘴。”
周二，MBS同时提到了9/11和Khashoggi。
“我对美国911家庭感到痛苦，但我们必须关注现实，”他说。
王子声称奥萨马·本·拉登利用沙特人来破坏沙特和美国的关系。
“我们一直在努力证明[本·拉登]是错的，并继续发展我们的国家。这对世界安全至关重要，”他说。
MBS谈到“记者”时说，“听到任何人在没有真正目的的情况下失去生命，这真的很痛苦。”
“对我们沙特阿拉伯人来说，这很痛苦，”他说。“我们已经做了调查等所有正确的步骤。在沙特阿拉伯，我们已经改进了我们的系统，以确保没有这样的事情发生。这很痛苦，这是一个巨大的错误。我们正在尽最大努力避免这种事情再次发生。”
特朗普否认与在沙特做生意的家人有利益冲突
就在那次交流之前，布鲁斯问特朗普，当他担任总统时，他的家人在沙特阿拉伯做生意，作为特朗普的组织，是否有利益冲突有多个活动项目在王国里。
上个月，特朗普组织还宣布了在沙特阿拉伯建造特朗普广场的计划，包括“一个充满活力的绿色脊柱，灵感来自中央公园，为吉达的心脏地带带来了曼哈顿式的活力。”
特朗普坚称，他与他的家族企业没有任何关系。
“我家做什么都好。他们到处做生意。实际上，他们在沙特阿拉伯没做什么。他们可以。我相信他们可以做很多事情。他们所做的一切都非常好，”他说。
MBS的盛况
特朗普和MBS在进入双边会议前握手并对镜头微笑。
“成为你的朋友是我的荣幸，你在这里也是我的荣幸，”特朗普后来在椭圆形办公室告诉MBS。
在周二晚上在东厅举行的晚宴上，特朗普宣布他将沙特阿拉伯指定为“主要的非北约盟友”，并赞扬了该国在美国的投资承诺。
“今晚，我很高兴地宣布通过正式指定沙特阿拉伯为主要的非北约盟友，我们正在将我们的军事合作提升到更高的水平，这对他们来说非常重要，”特朗普说。
特朗普还宣布两国签署了战略防御协议。
虽然特朗普没有分享协议的细节，但a情况说明书关于这次访问，美国-沙特战略防御协议(SDA)使“美国国防公司更容易在沙特阿拉伯运营”，确保“从沙特阿拉伯获得新的负担分摊资金，以支付美国的费用”，并确认“沙特王国将美国视为其主要战略伙伴。”有了新的名称，沙特阿拉伯加入了澳大利亚、以色列和卡塔尔等美国盟友的行列。
在140多位入座嘉宾中，有亿万富翁埃隆·马斯克(Elon Musk)，他在离开政府效率部(DOGE)后重返白宫，还有足球明星克里斯蒂亚诺·罗纳尔多(Cristiano Ronaldo)，他在沙特职业联赛踢球。特朗普说他的儿子巴伦要去见他。
嘉宾中还有英伟达首席执行官黄仁勋、苹果首席执行官蒂姆·库克、福克斯新闻频道主播玛利亚·巴蒂罗姆、高尔夫球手布赖森·德尚博、小唐纳德·特朗普、福克斯新闻频道主播布雷特·拜尔、特朗普的女婿迈克尔·布洛斯和国际足联主席詹尼·因凡蒂诺。
关注国防和商业
特朗普和MBS在椭圆形办公室与记者交谈，总统说他对王储所做的工作“非常自豪”。
总统大力宣传商业交易和经济合作，包括在美国的1万亿美元投资。
“我们已经是很长一段时间的好朋友了。我们在每个问题上都是站在同一边的，”特朗普在一旁微笑着对MBS说。
王子的美国之行被宣传为“正式工作访问”，旨在跟进和推进特朗普5月在利雅得的露面，这是特朗普第二任期的首次正式访问。
在那次5月的访问中，特朗普宣布与沙特阿拉伯达成1420亿美元的一揽子武器协议，根据白宫的情况介绍，这是华盛顿有史以来“最大的国防合作协议”。
“答华盛顿近东政策研究所(Washington Institute for Near East Policy)高级研究员、前五角大楼国防部长办公室海湾和阿拉伯半岛事务主任伊丽莎白·登特(Elizabeth Dent)说，“他们宣布的许多金融、经济和人工智能协议在六个月前都非常模糊，我认为这一次我们可能会开始看到他们的一些牙齿，并有望对这些协议的实际内容有更多的了解。”。
概况介绍说，周二的协议涉及十多家美国国防公司，涉及的领域包括空中和导弹防御、空军和太空进步、海上安全和通信。
这些交易的特点包括，对美国人工智能基础设施的数十亿美元投资，加强民用核能合作，加强两国国防合作的国防销售，以及通过几十项有针对性的投资实现沙特的6000亿美元投资承诺。
沙特王国反过来宣布在美国投资6000亿美元，涉及多个领域，包括能源安全、国防、技术、全球基础设施和关键矿产。
“我们相信，美国未来的开放。总统先生，我们相信你正在做的事情，真的在良好的基础上创造了许多好东西，为美国创造了更多的经济增长和更多的商业，”王储说。
根据6000亿美元的承诺宣布的其他一些值得注意的交易包括对以下领域的投资:美国的人工智能数据中心和能源基础设施;先进技术;沙特基础设施项目;美国能源设备和商用飞机:美国医疗保健供应链;和美国体育产业。
特朗普同意向英国出售F-35战机
在周二的会议之前，王储显然已经达成了一项令人垂涎的武器交易，其中包括来自美国的先进F-35战斗机。
特朗普周一在椭圆形办公室的一次活动中证实，他计划向沙特阿拉伯出售F-35，作为武器交易的一部分，专家表示，这将标志着这些战斗机首次被出售给阿拉伯军方。
向沙特王国出售先进的F-35战斗机的潜在可能，可能会在以色列引起恐慌。
美国法律要求，对中东国家的任何武器销售都不会危及以色列的安全，目前还不清楚特朗普是否已经扫清了允许向沙特阿拉伯出售战斗机的障碍。
“围绕这一点有一大堆问题。部分原因是以色列必须能够保持国会授权的军事优势，这是国会决定的。“因此，如果交易继续进行，我认为我们只需要看看他们如何找到最佳方式，确保以色列能够保持这一点，因为以色列是中东地区目前唯一拥有F-35的国家。”
“我认为以色列人可能对这些没有正常化迹象的谣言感到非常不安，”登特补充道。
总统被问及这些飞机是否与以色列军方使用的相同。
“但我要说，当你看着F-35问我，这是一样的吗?我认为会非常相似。是啊，”他说。
沙特坚持巴勒斯坦建国的“可信途径”
在中东动荡之际，沙特领导人正在寻求美国的安全保证。与美国的安全协议一直处于发展阶段，尚未正式确定，但沙特王国正在寻求深化两国之间的军事和安全关系。
一些人认为，安全保证是与以色列关系正常化的更大区域“大交易”的一部分，这是特朗普肯定会推动的，尽管沙特王国在以色列现任领导下拒绝这样做。
特朗普周五在空军一号上告诉记者，他将与王储讨论这个问题。
“我希望沙特阿拉伯将很快加入亚伯拉罕协议，”他说。
今年早些时候，特朗普通过行政命令与卡塔尔签署了一项前所未有的国防协议，该协议承认美国和卡塔尔之间的“持久联盟”，并在“外部袭击”的情况下为卡塔尔提供明确的安全保证。
许多分析人士说，他们认为沙特正在寻求与美国达成类似的防务协议。
“我认为这有点类似于卡塔尔，它基本上只是说，它将把对沙特阿拉伯的任何威胁或攻击视为对美国的攻击，然后美国将做出适当的回应，这可能包括从政治到军事的选择。因此，我认为政府会确保“给他们自己做决定的空间，”登特说这里有很多工作要做。显然，我认为大部分都是关于期望管理的。"
沙特王国尤其致力于实施总统的20点加沙和平计划。沙特王国此前曾表示，它希望看到一条通往独立和自由的巴勒斯坦的可信道路的出现，以此作为支持哈马斯非军事化和加沙重建的条件。
但以色列为巴勒斯坦建国设置了路障，这无疑会引起正在推动加沙持久和平的阿拉伯地区伙伴的焦虑。
“我们反对在任何领土上建立巴勒斯坦国的立场没有改变，”以色列总理本雅明·内塔尼亚胡周日在每周内阁会议上表示。"加沙将非军事化，哈马斯将被解除武装，无论是容易的方式还是困难的方式."
内塔尼亚胡长期以来一直反对巴勒斯坦建国，最近几个月表示，建立巴勒斯坦国只会奖励哈马斯，并危及以色列的安全。
Trump defends Saudi crown prince over Khashoggi murder: 'Things happen'
President Donald Trump on Tuesday angrily defended Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his first trip to the U.S in seven years, saying that what the Saudi royal has done is "incredible in terms ofhumanrights"and dismissed questions about journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder.
U.S. intelligence has said MBS, as he is known, approved of an operation that led to the murder of Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and Saudi critic, by Saudi agents in Istanbul, causing global outrage.
"Things happen, but he knew nothing about it, and we can leave it at that," Trump interjected when the prince was asked about Khashoggi's murder.
The Oval Office exchange came after Trump welcomed MBS to the White House with a lavish arrival ceremony, complete a red carpet with flags and a horse-mounted U.S. military honor guard carrying U.S. and Saudi flags.
Trump defends MBS over journalist's death
When ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce asked about Khashoggi's murder and the anger 9/11 families have expressed over the visit because of Saudi Arabia's alleged role in that attack, Trump angrily told Bruce, "You don't have to embarrass our guest, asking a question like this."
"As far as this gentleman is concerned, he's done a phenomenal job," Trump said of the prince.
"You're mentioning somebody that was extremely controversial," Trump said referring to Khashoggi. "A lot of people didn't like that gentleman that you're talking about, whether you like him or didn't like him, things happen, but he knew nothing about it, and we can leave it at that," he said about MBS.
The crown prince has previously denied ordering the murder of Khashoggi but ultimately acknowledged responsibility as the kingdom's de facto ruler.
In 2021, areportfrom the U.S. intelligence community found, "We assess thatSaudi Arabia's Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman approved an operation in Istanbul, Turkey to capture or kill Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi."
It added, "The Crown Prince viewed Khashoggi as a threat to the Kingdom and broadly supported using violent measures if necessary to silence him."
On Tuesday, MBS addressed both 9/11 and Khashoggi.
"I feel painful about families of 9/11 in America, but we have to focus on reality," he said.
The prince alleged that Osama bin Laden used Saudis to destroy the relationship between the kingdom and the United States.
"We've been working to prove [bin Laden] wrong and continuing developing our nation. It is critical for the safety of the world," he said.
MBS said of "the journalist" that "it's really painful to hear, anyone losing their life for no real purpose."
"It's been painful for us in Saudi Arabia," he said. "We've did all the right steps of, investigation, etc., in Saudi Arabia, and we've improved our system to be sure that nothing happened like that. And it's painful, and it's a huge mistake. And we are doing our best that this doesn't happen again."
Trump denies conflict of interest with family doing business in Saudi Arabia
Just before that exchange, Bruce asked Trump about whether there was a conflict of interest with his family doing business in Saudi Arabia while he was president, as The Trump Organizationhas multiple active projectsin the kingdom.
Last month, the Trump Organization also announced plans for a Trump Plaza to be built in Saudi Arabia, complete with "a vibrant green spine inspired by Central Park that brings Manhattan-style vibrancy to the heart of Jeddah."
Trump insisted he has nothing to do with his family business.
"What my family does is fine. They do business all over. They've done very little with Saudi Arabia, actually. They could. I'm sure they could do a lot. And anything they've done has been very good," he said.
Pomp and circumstance for MBS
Trump and MBS shook hands and smiled for the cameras before entering their bilateral meeting.
"It's an honor to be your friend and it's an honor that you're here," Trump told later MBS inside the Oval Office.
At a Tuesday night dinner in the East Room, Trump announced that he was designating Saudi Arabia a "major non-NATO ally" and praised the kingdom's investment commitments in the U.S.
"Tonight, I'm pleased to announce thatwe're taking our military cooperation to even greater heights by formally designating Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally, which is something that is very important to them," Trump said.
Trump also announced the two countries had signed a strategic defense agreement.
Though Trump didn't share details about the agreement, afact sheetabout the visit said the U.S.-Saudi Strategic Defense Agreement (SDA), makes "it easier for U.S. defense firms to operate in Saudi Arabia," secures "new burden-sharing funds from the Saudi Arabia to defray U.S. costs," and affirms "that the Kingdom views the United States as its primary strategic partner." With the new designation, Saudi Arabia joins U.S. allies such as Australia, Israel, and Qatar.
Among the more than 140 seated guests were billionaire Elon Musk, returning to the White House after he left the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays in the Saudi Pro League. who Trump said his son Barron got to meet.
Also spotted among guests were Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo, golfer Bryson DeChambeau, Donald Trump Jr., Fox News anchor Bret Baier, Trump's son-in-law Michael Boulos and FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
A focus on defense and business
Trump and MBS spoke with reporters in the Oval Office, where the president said he was "very proud" of the job the crown prince had done.
The president touted the business deals and economic cooperation, including a $1 trillion investment in the United States.
"We've been really good friends for a long period of time. We've always been on the same side of every issue," Trump told MBS as he looked on, smiling.
The prince's trip to the U.S. is being billed as an "official working visit," and is designed to follow up and advance on Trump's May appearance in Riyadh -- the first official visit of Trump's second term in office.
During that May visit, Trumpannounced a $142 billion arms package with the Saudis, which according to a White House fact sheet was the "the largest defense cooperation agreement" Washington has ever done.
"Alot of the financial and economic and artificial intelligence deals that they announced that were very ambiguous six months ago, I think we might start to see some teeth from them this time around and hopefully get a little bit more clarity on what those deals actually are," said Elizabeth Dent, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and former director for the Gulf and Arabian Peninsula in the office of the Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon.
Tuesday's agreement covers deals with more than a dozen U.S. defense companies in areas including air and missile defense, air force and space advancement, maritime security and communications, the fact sheet said.
Features from the deals included, a multi-billion dollar investment in America’s AI infrastructure, enhanced cooperation on civil nuclear energy, defense sales to enhance defense cooperation between both countries and fulfillments of the Saudis’ $600 billion investment pledge via dozens of targeted investments.
The kingdom in turn announced a $600 billion investment in the U.S. spanning multiple sectors, including energy security, defense, technology, global infrastructure and critical minerals.
"We believe, in the future openness of America. We believe in what you're doing, Mr. President, really creating a lot of good things on good foundation to create more economic growth, more business in America," the crown prince said.
Some of the other notable deals announced under the $600 billion pledge included investments in:U.S.-based artificial intelligence data centers and energy infrastructure; advanced technologies; Saudi infrastructure projects; U.S. energy equipment and commercial aircraft; the U.S. health care supply chain; and U.S. sports industries.
Trump agrees to sell F-35s to kingdom
Ahead of the Tuesday meeting, the crown prince had apparently scored a highly coveted weapons deal that includes advanced F-35 fighter jets from the U.S.
Trump confirmed on Monday during an event in the Oval Office that he plans to sell F-35s to Saudi Arabia as part of a weapons deal, which experts say would mark the first time those fighters have been sold to an Arab military.
The potential sale of advanced F-35 fighter jets to the Saudi kingdom is likely to cause consternation in Israel.
U.S. law requires that any weapons sale package to countries in the Middle East does not risk Israel's security, and it's unclear if Trump has cleared that hurdle in permitting the sale of fighter jets to Saudi Arabia.
"There's a whole host of issues that encompass this. Part of it is that Israel has to be able to maintain their congressionally mandated qualitative military edge, which Congress does determine that," Dent said. "And so, if the deal goes forward, I think we just have to see how they're going to figure out the best way to ensure Israel can maintain that, as the only country in the Middle East that currently has F-35s."
"I think the Israelis are probably pretty uncomfortable with these rumors swirling around without normalization in sight," Dent added.
The president was asked if these are the same jets used by the Israeli military.
“But I will say that, when you look at the F-35 and you're asking me, is it the same? I think it's going to be pretty similar. Yeah," he said.
Saudis insist on 'credible pathway' to Palestinian statehood
The Saudi leader is seeking security guarantees from the U.S. amid turbulence in the Middle East. The security agreement with the U.S. has been in a development stage and has not yet been formalized, but the kingdom is seeking to deepen military and security ties between the two countries.
The security guarantees are viewed by some as part of a larger regional "megadeal" involving normalization with Israel, something Trump will surely push for, even as the Saudi kingdom has refused to do so under the current Israeli leadership.
Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Friday that he would discuss the issue with the crown prince.
"I hope that Saudi Arabia will be going into the Abraham Accords fairly shortly," he said.
Earlier this year, Trump signed an unprecedented defense pact with Qatar via executive order that recognizes the "enduring alliance" between the U.S. and Qatar and provides Qatar an explicit security guarantee in the event of "external attack."
Many analysts have said they believe the Saudis are looking for a similar defense pact with the U.S.
"I think it'll be kind of similar to Qatar's, where it basically just says it will consider any sort of threat or attack on Saudi Arabia to be an attack on the United States, and then the United States will respond appropriately, which could range from political to military options. So, I think that the administration will make sure togive themselves that decision space," Dent said. "There's a lot to work through here. Obviously, I think a lot of it will be about expectation management."
The kingdom is notably invested in implementing the president's 20-point Gaza peace plan. The kingdom has previously stated it wants to see the emergence of a credible path toward an independent and a free Palestine as a condition for supporting the demilitarization of Hamas and reconstruction of Gaza.
But Israel has put up a roadblock to Palestinian statehood, which will undoubtedly cause angst among Arab regional partners who are pushing for sustained peace in Gaza.
"Our opposition to a Palestinian state in any territory has not changed," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday during his weekly cabinet meeting. "Gaza will be demilitarized and Hamas will be disarmed, the easy way or the hard way."
Netanyahu has long opposed a Palestinian state, saying in recent months that its creation would only reward Hamas and endanger Israel's security.
