President Trump said Tuesday he will designate Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally, marking a step up in defense ties between the U.S. and the Gulf monarchy.

Mr. Trump announced the move at a black-tie dinner at the White House in honor of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia.

The designation could open the door to further collaboration between Saudi Arabia and the U.S. military. It's also a symbolic move: Mr. Trump said in brief remarks Tuesday evening it would take "our military cooperation to even greater heights."

There are currently 20 major non-NATO allies, including other Middle Eastern countries like Israel, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Egypt, Tunisia and Jordan.

This is a breaking story; it will be updated.

In:

Donald Trump

Saudi Arabia

See Full Page