White House officials said the move would be good for the economy, and insisted that building Saudi Arabia's already substantial military was "essential" because of regional problems.

U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis departs after his meeting with Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Jonathan Ernst/AP)

By: Jason Ditz/Antiwar.com Earlier this month, US officials said the US was seeking to reach "billions" of dollars in arms sales to Saudi Arabia as part of Pres. Trump's visit to Riyadh. With a week left before the visit, officials now say the White House is very close to the deal, and that it will amount to over $100 billion in sales.

Details are still emerging, but the plan is for this to set out a series of growing deals over the next decade that will involve more than $300 billion going to arms dealers, not just to arm the Saudis, but in extra aid to Israel to ensure their "qualitative military edge" over the Saudis.

White House officials said the move would be good for the economy, and insisted that building Saudi Arabia's already substantial military was "essential" because of regional problems. Saudi Arabia, of course, spends much of its military budget invading Yemen and trying to reinstall former President Hadi in power.