(MENAFN) President Donald Trump declared on Tuesday that the United States is elevating its security relationship with Saudi Arabia by designating the kingdom as a major non-NATO ally, according to reports.

"I'm pleased to announce that we're taking our military cooperation to even greater heights by formally designating Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally, which is something that is very important to them," Trump said during a formal White House dinner with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

He added, "I'm just telling you now for the first time, because they wanted to keep a little secret for tonight...That's another point you won today, and signing a historic strategic defense agreement, which we just signed a little while ago. So congratulations," prompting applause at the event.

Major non-NATO ally status grants countries expanded access to US defense cooperation, from eligibility for joint research projects with the Pentagon to priority purchases of American weapons, training, and financing options. The list of other nations with this designation includes Bahrain, Colombia, Egypt, Israel, Japan, Kenya, Pakistan, Qatar, South Korea, and Tunisia.

While the designation does not itself guarantee US military protection, the White House earlier emphasized that Trump and the crown prince had finalized a strategic defense pact intended to "strengthen our more than 80-year defense partnership and fortify deterrence across the Middle East."

It remains uncertain whether the reference to deterrence implies that Washington would commit to defending Saudi Arabia in the event of an attack. Requests for clarification from the White House were not immediately addressed.

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