The Pentagon announced that the US State Department had agreed to sell 20 “MK 54 MOD 0” lightweight torpedoes to Saudi Arabia, for $78.5 million.

The Pentagon said, “The proposed sale will improve the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s ability to deter current and future threats, by upgrading its capabilities in anti-submarine warfare,” according to the Al Arabiya channel.

US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, repeatedly assured his Saudi counterpart, Prince Khalid bin Salman, of Washington’s commitment to the Kingdom’s defense, and thanked him for Riyadh’s work to promote calm in the Middle East.

Last month, during a phone call, senior American and Saudi military leaders discussed security and stability concerns in the Middle East.

The Pentagon said that the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General C. Q. Brown, and the Chief of the Saudi General Staff, Fayyad Al-Ruwaili, spoke about the importance of calming tensions in the region peacefully.

After the call that took place in December 2024, the spokesman for the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Geralt Dorsey, said: “The two leaders spoke about ways to strengthen the bilateral relationship between the US and Saudi militaries, including capacity building, military training, and exercises.”

He continued: “More broadly, the two leaders expressed a joint commitment to creating a strong coalition of regional partners, which represents a strong front to deter aggression and maintain regional stability