American and Saudi officials are discussing terms of a mutual defence treaty that would resemble the robust military pacts that the US has with its close allies Japan and South Korea, a central component in President Joe Biden’s high-stakes diplomacy to get Saudi Arabia to normalise relations with Israel, according to US officials.

Under such an agreement, the US and Saudi Arabia would generally pledge to provide military support if the other country is attacked in the region or on Saudi territory. The discussions to model the terms after the treaties in East Asia, considered among the strongest the US has outside of its European pacts, have not been previously reported.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, regards a mutual defence agreement with the US as the most important element in his talks with the Biden administration about Israel, current and former US officials said. Saudi officials say a strong defence agreement would help deter potential assaults by Iran or its armed partners even as the two regional rivals reestablish diplomatic ties.

Crown Prince Mohammed is also asking the Biden administration to help his country develop a civilian nuclear program, which some US officials fear could be cover for a nuclear weapons program to counter Iran.

Any treaty with Saudi Arabia that is similar to the US pacts with East Asian allies is sure to draw strong objections in Congress. Some senior US lawmakers, including top Democrats, see the Saudi government and Crown Prince Mohammed as unreliable partners who care little about US interests or human rights.

An agreement would also raise questions about whether Biden is getting the US more militarily entwined with West Asia. Such a treaty would also contradict the Biden administration’s stated goal of reorienting US military resources and fighting capabilities away from the area and toward deterring China specifically in the Asia-Pacific region.

The US discussions with Saudi Arabia and Israel have mainly revolved around Crown Prince Mohammed’s demands of the Biden administration. That diplomacy is expected to come up on Wednesday when Biden plans to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. Biden mentioned the benefits of nations normalising ties with Israel in a broad speech at the UN on Tuesday morning.

New York Times News Service