Relationship dossier
Saudi Arabia
United Kingdom
Relationship assessment
A substantial defense and security partnership tempered by disputes over Yemen, arms exports and human rights
Saudi Arabia toward United Kingdom
+35Saudi Arabia has sustained defense ties with the United Kingdom through major purchases of British-made aircraft, including the Al-Yamamah and later Typhoon programs, and associated support arrangements. Saudi and British authorities have also cooperated on security and counterterrorism. These ties coexist with disputes over UK criticism of Saudi conduct in Yemen and human-rights concerns.
United Kingdom toward Saudi Arabia
+30The United Kingdom has supplied Saudi Arabia with military aircraft and associated training and support, and the governments have maintained security and counterterrorism cooperation. British policy has also included restrictions and scrutiny of arms exports linked to the Yemen conflict, as well as sanctions against Saudi nationals following Jamal Khashoggi’s killing.
Overall relationship
+35The relationship is anchored by long-running defense procurement and security cooperation, giving it a durable cooperative structure. That partnership is constrained by disagreements over the Yemen war, UK arms-export decisions and human rights, including the Khashoggi killing. The combination supports a substantially cooperative but not unqualified bilateral relationship.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom maintain a substantial defense and security relationship, including Saudi procurement of British-made military aircraft and related support. Counterterrorism cooperation and close government engagement are additional features. The relationship has also faced friction over the war in Yemen, British arms-export policy, and the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, which prompted UK sanctions against Saudi nationals.
Areas of tension
- The Yemen war and Saudi military operations have drawn UK criticism and scrutiny of arms exports.
- UK arms-export licensing to Saudi Arabia has been contested over the risk of violations of international humanitarian law.
- Human-rights concerns, including the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, have prompted UK sanctions and diplomatic friction.
Key developments
The Al-Yamamah arms arrangement established a major long-term British-Saudi defense procurement relationship.
Saudi Arabia agreed to purchase Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft from the United Kingdom under a major defense arrangement.
The UK Court of Appeal ruled that the government’s assessment of Saudi arms exports in relation to Yemen was unlawful; the government later resumed licensing after revising its assessment.
The United Kingdom imposed sanctions on Saudi nationals under its global human-rights sanctions regime following Jamal Khashoggi’s killing.
Major uncertainties
- The current scope and implementation of bilateral security and counterterrorism cooperation are unclear.
- The extent to which arms-export safeguards have changed UK-Saudi defense cooperation is uncertain.