- US President Donald Trump is due to arrive in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, in what will be the first stop of a three-day tour that will also see him visit Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
- The White House said Trump was making a “historic return to the Middle East”, the first official state visit of his second presidency, where he will concentrate on “strengthening ties“.
- Trump is expected to focus on securing major financial investments for the United States and making diplomatic inroads on regional issues, including a Gaza ceasefire and Saudi Arabia-Israel normalisation talks.
- In Saudi Arabia, his first stop, Trump is hoping to secure a $1 trillion investment in US industry from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, upping the crown prince’s earlier investment pledge of $600bn.
Trump faces scrutiny over family’s business ties in Middle East
The Trump family’s extensive business ties in the Middle East are attracting scrutiny from critics concerned about conflicts of interest.
The Trump family has business interests in all three of the countries – Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE – which the US president is visiting on his first tour of the Middle East since returning to the White House.
Zach Witkoff, the cofounder of Trump’s crypto firm, World Liberty Financial, said last week that the Abu Dhabi-backed MGX was planning to use World Liberty Financial’s so-called “stablecoin” to complete an $2bn investment transaction in the crypto exchange Binance.
Last month, Trump’s second son, Eric, sealed a deal to develop a $5.5bn golf club in Qatar, while the Trump Organisation also has at least three projects, including residential developments and a golf course, under way in Saudi Arabia.
Asked if Trump planned to meet with any figures involved in the deals during his trip, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt shot down the suggestion that the president would act for his own benefit as “frankly ridiculous”.
“He left a life of luxury and a life of running a very successful real estate empire for public service. Not just once, but twice,” Leavitt told reporters.
“The American public re-elected him back to this White House because they trust he acts in the best interests of our country and [is] putting the American public first.”
Trump trip to Middle East skips Israel as no progress in Gaza ceasefire
One place we know that Donald Trump will not be visiting on this tour is Israel.
That is because of the ongoing conflict with Israel’s war on Gaza.
The White House is saying that there has not been any progress when it comes to ceasefire talks there.
Given there has been no progress on those talks, there will also be no furthering of something that Donald Trump has been pressing for – but [which has] so far has eluded the president – and that is the furthering of the Abraham Accords, or the normalisation of ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Because we know that with the ongoing conflict in Gaza, there is no [possibility of the] creation of a Palestinian state, which is something that Saudi Arabia is demanding.
Trump skips Israel amid concerns over US-Israeli alliance
Trump’s decision not to include Israel on his Middle East tour follows a series of moves that have raised concerns in some circles about his commitment to the US-Israeli alliance.
The Trump administration negotiated the release of Hamas’s US-Israeli captive Edan Alexander on Sunday without Israel’s involvement, and reportedly did not give Israeli officials advance notice of its decision last week to halt its bombing campaign against the Houthis.
Writing in the Israeli news outlets Ynet last week, diplomatic correspondent Itamar Eichner said the Israeli government’s frustration with Trump was “increasingly hard to conceal”.
“When Trump decided to halt attacks on the Houthis, Israel wasn’t even updated – it found out from the news,” Eichner wrote. “That move, many felt, went too far. The message to the region was clear: Israel is no longer a top US priority.”
Trump administration officials have dismissed suggestions of a rift between the sides.
“What he’s doing is not because he’s snubbing Israel,” US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said in an interview with Israel’s Channel 12.
“There are 200 nations in the world, almost, so there are a lot of them he hasn’t gone to yet, a lot of them he isn’t going to right away – he’s spent more time with the prime minister of Israel than he has with any other world leader,” Huckabee said.
‘Opulent arrival’ ceremony expected for Trump in Saudi Arabia
Donald Trump arrives in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, the first of three Middle East nations he’ll be visiting this week.
He hopes to acquire 1 trillion dollars in investment from the Saudis.
The Saudi Crown Prince is hoping that he can get cooperation for one of his many multibillion-dollar mega-projects.
We are expecting Donald Trump, just as he did in his first term in 2017 when he visited the kingdom, to participate in a very opulent arrival and welcoming ceremony.
Then we know that he will get down to business.
We also know that the kingdom has begun to play a much larger role when it comes to the global stage, resolving global conflicts – most recently, hosting the talks to try and resolve the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
We expect to see more of those types of discussions moving forward.
Israel says to delay new military operation in Gaza until after Trump visit
Israel will not launch a planned major offensive in Gaza until after US President Trump’s visit to the Middle East, according to reports.
Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon confirmed to reporters on Monday that Israel will delay its operation in Gaza for a few days.
“Israel is preparing a major operation in Gaza, we are not hiding it,” Danon said.
“We have called up the reserves, and we have the troops ready. And if there will be no development in the negotiations, we will apply pressure, military pressure, in order to make sure that we bring back the hostages and then eliminate Hamas,” Danon said.
As Trump was preparing to depart for Saudi Arabia, the last living US captive in Gaza, Edan Alexander, was released by Hamas in what was framed as a goodwill gesture towards Trump by the Palestinian group.
“This was a step taken in good faith towards the United States and the efforts of the mediators – Qatar and Egypt – to put an end to this very brutal war and return ALL living hostages and remains to their loved ones,” Trump posted on social media.
“Hopefully this is the first of those final steps necessary to end this brutal conflict.”
Trump says use of jet ‘a great gesture’ from Qatar
Trump has defended plans to accept a $400m jet from Qatar for temporary use as Air Force One amid criticism over the ethics and security implications of the offer.
“I think it’s a great gesture from Qatar,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday.
“I appreciate it very much. I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer. I mean, I could be a stupid person and say, ‘No, we don’t want a free, very expensive aeroplane.’ But I thought it was a great gesture.”
Qatar’s government has confirmed that the transfer of the jet is under consideration, but has described reports that the plane will be given as a gift during Trump’s visit as “inaccurate”.
“The possible transfer of an aircraft for temporary use as Air Force One is currently under consideration between Qatar’s Ministry of Defense and the US Department of Defense, but the matter remains under review by the respective legal departments, and no decision has been made,” Ali Al-Ansari, Qatar’s media attache to the US, said in a statement.
Democrats have criticised the proposal as a conflict of interest and a potential threat to national security, with a number of top Senators pushing for a vote to censure Trump’s plan.
News agency reporters excluded from Air Force One for Trump trip
A group representing journalists covering the White House said it was disturbed that the Trump administration barred news agency reporters from travelling with Trump on Air Force One, the Associated Press reports.
No reporter from the AP, Bloomberg or Reuters was on Air Force One, where presidents often take questions from travelling members of the press, as it took off for the Middle East on Monday.
“This change is a disservice to every American who deserves to know what their highest elected leader is up to, as quickly as possible,” the White House Correspondents’ Association said in a statement.
“Their reports are distributed quickly to thousands of news outlets and millions of readers throughout the world every day, so all have equal access to coverage of the presidency,” it said.
The Trump administration has been fighting in court with the AP after the news service was blocked from covering smaller “pool” events at the Oval Office when it decided not to change the name of the “Gulf of Mexico” to “Gulf of America”, as Trump had called for in an executive order.
In response to a ruling in that case, the White House has instituted a new media policy that lumps news agencies in with print reporters in a rotation for space on Air Force One or Oval Office events.
Trump’s route to the Middle East
Trump took off on board Air Force One from a military base outside of Washington, DC, at 11:39am local time [15:39 GMT] on Monday.
His plane will make a refuelling stop at a military base in the UK before an expected arrival time in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday morning at 9:45am local time [06:45 GMT].
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman al-Saud is scheduled to greet the US president on arrival at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.
Trump will return to the US at the end of the week after visiting Qatar and the UAE.
Trump may announce ‘Persian Gulf’ name change
Among the potential items on Trump’s agenda is the name of the “Persian Gulf”, the waterway bordering seven Arab nations including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Iran.
Speaking to reporters at the White House last week, Trump said he was planning to make a decision on how the US refers to the “Persian Gulf” during his Middle East visit. Trump made his comments after US media reported that he would use the trip to announce that the US would begin referring to the waterway as the “Arabian Gulf” or the “Gulf of Arabia”, a move that would likely anger Iran.
The name of the Gulf has long been a source of tensions between Arab nations and Iran.
Iran argues that “Persian Gulf” is the correct name in light of historical evidence that shows it is part of its territory, while Arab states use the term “Arabian Gulf” or “The Gulf”.
US announces $1.4bn weapons sale to UAE ahead of visit
The US has approved the sale of $1.4bn worth of weapons and equipment to the UAE ahead of Trump’s visit.
The proposed sale includes the transfer of six CH-47F Block II Chinook helicopters and various military equipment, including missile warning, navigation and communications systems.
“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of an important regional partner,” the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement on Monday.
“The United Arab Emirates is a vital U.S. partner for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East. The proposed sale will improve the United Arab Emirates’ capability to meet current and future threats by extending its range of flight operations. The UAE will use these assets in search and rescue, disaster relief, humanitarian support, and counterterrorism operations,” it said.
The US defence agency added that the sale would not alter the military balance in the region or negatively affect US defence readiness.
A recap of Trump’s Middle East visit
Here’s what you need to know:
- President Trump has departed the United States en route to the Middle East for a three-day visit that starts in Saudi Arabia later today. Trump will then visit Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
- Donald Trump will focus on securing increased investment in the US from the three wealthy Gulf states during his visit, while also tackling thorny diplomatic issues, including a ceasefire in Gaza and stalled normalisation talks between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
- The White House has described the trip – the first official state visit of Trump’s second presidency – as “historic”. Saudi Arabia was also the first stop during Trump’s first term, breaking a tradition of new US presidents starting state visits with the United Kingdom, Canada or Mexico.
- In Saudi Arabia, Trump is hoping to secure a $1 trillion investment from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in US industries, upping the crown prince’s earlier investment pledge of $600bn.
- During the visit, Saudi Arabia is expected to announce more than $100bn in purchases of US arms, including missiles, radar systems and transport aircraft.
- Talks may also focus on reviving a scaled-down US-Saudi Arabia defence pact.
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