U.S.–Saudi Relations: Oil, Arms, and Tensions Through the Decades

U.S.–Saudi relations have been defined by decades of strategic oil and defense cooperation, fluctuating between alignment and strain.

The partnership has endured major tests from the 1933 U.S. oil concession to Saudi Arabia to the post-9/11 fallout and the war in Yemen.

President Biden took a tougher stance on Saudi Arabia’s rights record, but resumed high-level engagement as global energy and security concerns grew. By 2024, the U.S. had partially lifted its arms ban, and Saudi Arabia pledged $600 billion in U.S. investments, signaling renewed cooperation.

Now, U.S.–Saudi relations are poised for another reset as U.S. President Donald Trump prepares for a high-stakes trip to the Gulf on May 13, with stops in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE. The visit comes just days after Washington approved a $3.5 billion missile sale to Riyadh and delinked civil nuclear talks from Israeli normalization.