US will sell F-35 jets to ally according to a statement by Trump

President Donald Trump said on Monday that he plans to approve the sale of US-made F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, speaking a day before hosting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for a day of diplomacy, telling reporters in the Oval Office, “I will say that we will be doing that… We’ll be selling the F-35s.” The Reuters Gulf Currents newsletter brings the latest on geopolitics, energy and finance in the region. A sale would represent a major policy shift, potentially reshaping the military balance in the Middle East and challenging Washington’s longstanding commitment to maintaining Israel’s “qualitative military edge.” Senior Resident Scholar at Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington DC, Hussein Ibish, joins us for more.