Riyadh Eyes “Qatar-Like” Security Guarantee Amid “Israeli” Aggression Fallout

By Staff, Agencies

Saudi Arabia has entered formal talks with the United States to secure a long-desired defense agreement modeled after the recent US-Qatar security pact, according to a report by the Financial Times (FT).

The negotiations come weeks after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order “assuring the security of the state of Qatar,” following a widely condemned “Israeli” airstrike on Doha. The pact pledges that any armed attack on Qatar will be treated as a threat to the United States — effectively granting Doha the same level of protection long reserved for major non-NATO allies.

FT cited sources familiar with the matter as saying that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman [MBS], the kingdom’s de facto ruler, hopes to secure a similar US guarantee during his upcoming visit to the White House next month.

“There are discussions about signing something when the crown prince comes, but the details are in flux,” a senior Trump administration official told the outlet.

The meeting between MBS and Trump is expected to be “robust,” involving comprehensive deals that expand US-Saudi military and intelligence cooperation. The State Department declined to comment on the Saudi leader’s trip but reaffirmed that US-Saudi military ties remain “a strong bedrock of our regional strategy.”

Meanwhile, leaked Pentagon documents have revealed a covert US-led defense initiative linking “Israel” and six key Arab states — Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates — in a joint air-defense framework against Iran.

According to the leaked files, published by The Washington Post, the partnership, called the “Regional Security Construct,” was established under the US Central Command [CENTCOM] in 2022 and expanded quietly through 2025. The initiative involved secret meetings, shared training drills, and coordinated military exercises focusing on countering what participants called “Iranian threats.”

“The documents show that the threat posed by Iran was the driving force behind the closer ties, which have been fostered by the US military’s Central Command,” The Washington Post reported.

The revelations come amid renewed tensions following the “Israeli” strike last month on a residential area in Doha that targeted senior Hamas figures. The Qatari monarchy condemned both “Israel” and Washington, accusing the United States of complicity and prior knowledge of the attack.

Sources familiar with the matter told The Post that US intelligence agencies were aware in advance of “Israel’s” planned operation against Doha but chose not to warn Arab allies. The decision reportedly left several regional partners — including Saudi Arabia and the UAE — feeling deceived, as they had been assured that Washington would notify them before any “Israeli” strikes in the region.

The fallout from the Doha attack has since strained US relations with several of its Gulf partners, even as Washington attempts to reinforce its regional military architecture under the guise of collective security.