AI, F-35s, and Nuclear Deals: President Trump Bets Big on Saudi Arabia
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s latest trip to Washington is about far more than a photo op, and Keren Setton shows how high the stakes really are. In her report for The Media Line, Setton follows President Donald Trump as he tries to fuse Saudi money, American technology, and Israeli security into one sweeping deal that runs through AI data centers, nuclear reactors, and a fragile ceasefire in Gaza. The US president has greenlit F-35 sales to Riyadh, rattling Israelis who fear losing their military edge while worrying that China could piggyback on American technology.
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Setton explains how President Trump’s plan links Saudi normalization with Israel to a UN-backed pathway for Palestinian statehood, with Gaza as the first “domino” in a chain that also includes upgraded US-Saudi ties and a broader regional realignment. Experts warn that Saudi Arabia’s push for a civilian nuclear program, paired with AI’s vast energy demands, could move the kingdom closer to weapons capability in a region already haunted by Iran’s ambitions. “The whole structure of regional peace, which has both strategic and economic facets, rests on dominos — the first is Gaza, followed by an upgrade of relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia, and afterward normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia,” says Prof. Eytan Gilboa.
From fears over plutonium byproducts to Saudi multibillion-dollar investments in US AI infrastructure, Setton tracks a deal that could reshape the balance of power from Tehran to Silicon Valley. For readers trying to understand how energy, defense, and algorithms now share the same battlefield, Keren Setton’s full article is essential reading.
