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Boeing agrees to sell dozens of 787 Dreamliner jets to Saudi Arabia

The planes will become part of the fleet for Saudi Arabia’s flag carrier, Saudia, and a planned new airline to be called Riyadh Air.
The logo for Boeing appears above a trading post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
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The White House is defending a new business deal between Boeing and Saudi Arabia.

Under the agreement, valued at nearly $37 billion, Boeingwill provide the Middle Eastern nation with 121 of 787 Dreamliner jets, that will be equipped with General Electric’s most advanced GEnex engines.

The planes will become part of the fleet for two airlinesthat are owned by the Saudi government.

President Joe Biden had promised to turn the Saudi government into a "pariah" state after the 2018 murder and dismemberment of an American journalist, a murder that has been blamed on the Saudi crown prince.

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However, on Tuesday, White House officials said it's important to maintain both business and military ties.

“We also believe that it's important that we continue to provide Saudi Arabia self-defense capabilities, because now, look, again, we welcome the agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia, which we hope can lead to an end to the Yemen war and to attacks on Saudi Arabian soil by Iran-backed rebels in Yemen. But that remains to be seen,” said John Kirby, National Security Council spokesman. 

The White House says another benefit of the deal is that it will support over one million jobs across 44 states, and provide service for passengers to over 100 destinations in the U.S. and around the globe.