Trump inflated importance of Saudi arms sales to US job market, report says

Saudi Arabia needs the US far more than the other way round, report argues amid crisis over murder of Jamal Khashoggi

US arms sales to Saudi Arabia give Washington extensive leverage on Riyadh, while accounting for fewer than 20,000 US jobs a year - less than a twentieth of the employment boost Donald Trump has claimed - according to a new report.

Trump has repeatedly cited the importance of Saudi arms sales to the US economy as a reason not to cut the supply of weapons in response to the murder of the Saudi writer and Washington Post columnist, Jamal Khashoggi.