US official: Bin Salman’s visit to Washington will focus on deals and normalization
US official: Bin Salman’s visit to Washington will focus on deals and normalization
11-6-2025
The former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Michael Ratney, confirmed on Thursday that the focus of Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Washington in the coming two weeks—his first visit in seven years—will be on deals and normalization with Israel. The Middle
East Institute, a US-based think tank, quoted Ratney in a report translated by Al-Maalomah News Agency as saying, “I think the Saudis were looking at the Biden administration with some apprehension because they heard a lot of his rhetoric on human rights and some negative comments about Mohammed bin Salman, and they didn’t quite know how to deal with that. Ultimately, the relationship deteriorated, then improved as it neared its end, with the start of negotiations on a normalization agreement and a potential mutual defense pact between the United States and Saudi Arabia.”
He added, “As with the normalization discussions, one element of that deal was a mutual defense treaty. This isn’t currently on the table because it requires Senate ratification, which I believe is impossible—certainly not without all the other elements. But there’s also discussion about a bilateral defense agreement between the United States and Saudi Arabia. This isn’t a defense treaty requiring Senate ratification; it’s an agreement that primarily enhances military cooperation between the United States and Saudi Arabia, and I believe this agreement would be a top priority for the Saudis.”
He continued, “The idea of normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel emerged at a critical juncture in US-Saudi relations, in the fall and winter of 2022. Almost unsurprisingly, the idea was included in our discussions about improving relations, which centered on trade. On one hand, the United States and Saudi Arabia would conclude a mutual defense treaty—something Saudi Arabia strongly desires, given its future investments and the unstable region it inhabits. In return, relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel would be normalized, and there would be other aspects as well. It was always expected that there would be an economic component and another related to energy.”
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