Trump says to sell F-35s to Saudi Arabia, to go tougher on Venezuela
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Trump says the US will sell F-35 jets to Saudi Arabia as the crown prince visits Washington, while refusing to rule out troops in Venezuela amid rising tensions.
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A squadron of US Air Force F-35 Lightning II aircraft flies over as President Donald Trump greets Polish President Karol Nawrocki at the White House, Wednesday, September 3, 2025, in Washington (AP)
President Donald Trump announced Monday that the United States intends to sell advanced F-35 stealth fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, just one day before Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is set to visit the White House for high-level talks.
“We will be doing that. We will be selling F-35s,” Trump told reporters when asked about the potential approval of the deal. Describing Riyadh as a strategic partner, he added, “They’ve been a great ally.”
The move signals a major deepening of US-Saudi defense cooperation and comes amid heightened regional military activity and geopolitical tensions. The F-35 sale would significantly bolster the kingdom’s air capabilities, potentially shifting the military balance in the Gulf.
'Israel' wants to exchange F-35 for normalization
"Israel" has privately informed the Trump administration that it does not object to a US sale of advanced F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, so long as the deal is directly tied to full diplomatic normalization between Riyadh and "Israel", Axios reported, citing two senior Israeli officials.
The position emerged ahead of Saudi Prime Minister and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s (MBS's) scheduled visit to Washington on Tuesday, where he is expected to meet United States President Donald Trump.
The White House discussions will focus on a potential US-Saudi security pact, the long-discussed F-35 package, and Washington’s push for a breakthrough in Israeli-Saudi normalization.
Trump signals readiness to escalate Venezuela policy
In a separate Oval Office exchange with reporters, Trump said he expects at some stage to speak with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, despite Washington’s escalated pressure campaign against Caracas.
“At a certain period of time, I’ll be talking to him,” Trump said, while stressing that Maduro “has not been good to the United States.” The comments come as a massive US naval deployment near Venezuela has intensified concerns of a broader confrontation.
When asked whether Washington would rule out deploying US ground forces in Venezuela, Trump was direct: “No, I don’t rule out that, I don’t rule out anything,” he said. “We just have to take care of Venezuela,” alleging that the country has sent “hundreds of thousands of people into our country from prisons.”
US expands military operations in Caribbean
The State Department had previously labeled several Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations in February, broadening the scope for intelligence agencies to conduct operations under expanded legal authority.
