.png)
Join Fox News for entree to this content
You person reached your maximum fig of articles. Log successful oregon make an relationship FREE of complaint to proceed reading.
By entering your email and pushing continue, you are agreeing to Fox News' Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, which includes our Notice of Financial Incentive.
Please participate a valid email address.
Former President Donald Trump is embarking this week connected a high-stakes circuit of the Persian Gulf region, targeting concern deals and strategical partnerships with 3 oil-rich nations: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
The travel marks Trump's archetypal large overseas sojourn of his caller word and comes arsenic atomic negotiations with Iran resistance connected and arsenic warfare continues betwixt Israel and the Palestinian panic organization, Hamas, successful the Gaza Strip. While concern is the authoritative focus, the backdrop is thing but calm.
White House property caput Karoline Leavitt described the ngo arsenic portion of Trump’s broader imaginativeness that "extremism is defeated [through] commerce and taste exchanges."
Under President Joe Biden, U.S. relations with Gulf states cooled, peculiarly aft Biden vowed to marque Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman a "pariah" implicit the 2018 sidesplitting of writer Jamal Khashoggi. But Trump has reversed course, embracing a much transactional attack that has warmed ties with determination leaders.
U.S. and Saudi flags flutter on a road successful Riyadh, Saudia Arabia, up of President Donald Trump's accomplishment connected May 12, 2025. (REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed)
"The wide extremity present is that the United States is reminding our Middle East allies that we're present to stay," said Gregg Roman, enforcement manager of the Middle East Forum. "We’re present to beforehand our associated interests alternatively than the abandonment policies nether the erstwhile administration."
Big money, large expectations
Saudi Arabia has already pledged $600 cardinal successful U.S. investments, spanning weapons purchases, exertion transfers, artificial quality and the banal market. Trump has said helium believes the Saudis whitethorn yet perpetrate up to $1 trillion.
While Saudi leaders purpose to diversify their system distant from oil, those monolithic investments inactive beryllium connected lipid revenues, which could beryllium threatened by Trump’s propulsion to little planetary vigor prices.
TRUMP STRAINS RELATIONSHIP WITH NETANYAHU AS MIDDLE EAST POLICY INCREASINGLY ISOLATES ISRAEL
President Donald Trump made a historical sojourn to Saudi Arabia aboriginal successful his archetypal word successful 2017. (Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS)
In summation to economical deals, Trump and bin Salman are expected to sermon a imaginable civilian atomic programme and expanded defence cooperation. Such agreements were erstwhile linked to a imaginable Abraham Accords-style normalization betwixt Saudi Arabia and Israel.
But Riyadh has made wide it won’t admit Israel unless Palestinian statehood is connected the table, thing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has staunchly opposed. No halt successful Israel is scheduled during Trump’s tour.
"Israeli normalization successful immoderate Saudi-U.S. task is an outdated option," said Saudi geopolitical expert Salman Al-Ansari. "The 2nd Trump medication is doubling down connected its strategically autonomous Middle East policy."
In a imaginable goodwill motion up of the trip, Hamas released Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander, a determination Trump called "monumental" successful the propulsion to extremity the Gaza conflict.
And arsenic the UAE seeks to boost its ties with the U.S. and go a planetary AI person by 2030, it’ll request American microchips. The UAE has gone adjacent further than the Saudis, promising $1.4 trillion successful U.S. investments implicit the adjacent decennary focused connected AI, semiconductors, manufacturing and energy.
Biden had tightened curbs connected AI exports to support specified technologies retired of the hands of adversaries astatine a clip erstwhile China drew person to Middle Eastern states, particularly the UAE.
On Thursday, the U.S. announced Trump would rescind the Biden-era restrictions.
Itinerary: Three days, 3 powerfulness centers
Trump’s whirlwind Gulf sojourn begins Tuesday successful Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, wherever he’ll header the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum alongside Saudi ministers, White House crypto czar David Sacks and different concern leaders.
On Wednesday, he’ll be a Gulf Cooperation Council gathering earlier flying to Qatar for talks with Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and a sojourn to the U.S. military’s Al Udeid Air Base.
Thursday’s last halt is Abu Dhabi, wherever Trump volition conscionable UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
4TH ROUND OF US-IRAN TALKS ENDS AS TRUMP SET TO EMBARK ON HISTORIC MIDDLE EAST TOUR
The Qataris are pulling retired each the stops to impress: They’ve offered Trump the usage of a royal Boeing 747-8, typically reserved for the Qatari royal family, to service arsenic Air Force One.
Since being named a large non-NATO state by Biden successful 2022, Qatar has deepened its ties with the U.S., hosting American troops and mediating delicate negotiations, including ongoing back-channel talks betwixt Israel and Gaza.
President Trump's determination to judge a $400 cardinal level from Qatar is raising superior eyebrows, adjacent among his staunchest supporters. (Getty Images | iStock)
Doha besides maintains adjacent interaction with Syria’s caller president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, who ousted Bashar al-Assad and is present seeking sanctions alleviation and normalized ties with the West.
"Regional leaders volition person an accidental to code the concern straight with the president," said determination adept Jonathan Bass. "Trump is the lone antheral that tin pb the way."
Iran watching closely
While a 4th circular of Iran atomic talks successful Oman implicit the play failed to nutrient a breakthrough, Tehran is expected to support a adjacent oculus connected Trump’s Gulf meetings.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made unannounced visits to some Saudi Arabia and Qatar up of Trump’s arrival, apt successful hopes of passing messages done those governments to Washington.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei volition beryllium monitoring Trump's sojourn to his determination neighbors. (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
But each 3 of Trump’s big nations, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar, stay wary of Iran’s ambitions.
"The portion needs to openly code the occupation of the IRGC," said Bass, referring to Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. "The IRGC is trying to undermine each azygous state successful the region."
English (US) ·