The announcement came during Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to Washington. During the two-day visit, Saudi Arabia raveled plans to invest 1 trillion USD in the US.

Trump said making Saudi Arabia an ally will expand military cooperation between the two countries. The US has just agreed to sell F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia.

According to the US State Department, major non-NATO ally status will provide Saudi Arabia with certain advantages in trade, defense, and security cooperation, but does not oblige the US to guarantee its security.