"We will be doing that. We will be selling F-35 jets," Trump said. "They've been a great ally." The leaders are expected to discuss deals on defence and civilian nuclear power during Tuesday's White House visit, the first by the de facto Saudi leader since journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed and dismembered at the hands of Saudi agents seven years ago. A US intelligence assessment said Prince Mohammed approved the operation that led to the killing. The crown prince denied any role in the murder.

Prince Mohammed's last visit was during Trump's first term in 2018, the same year as Khashoggi's murder in Istanbul. While former President Joe Biden did not host the crown prince and promised to make the country a "pariah" over its human rights record, Biden did visit Saudi Arabia in 2022 to reach agreements on other issues. Biden said he raised Khashoggi's murder in that meeting.

Trump and the crown prince already met in Riyadh in May. There, the US agreed to sell nearly $142bn (£107bn) worth of arms to Saudi Arabia in what the White House described as the "largest defence sales agreement in history", as part of a $600bn investment deal. Saudia Arabia is the largest buyer of US arms.

Some American defence officials have raised concerns about a potential sale of F-35s, considered the most advanced fighter jet in the world, to Saudi Arabia. They told US media that they feared it would give Saudi Arabia access to sensitive stealth technology, which the country could then share with China under a security partnership between the two powers. (BBC)