Summary
- Donald Trump is joined by Elon Musk and other VIPs in Saudi Arabia during the first major diplomatic trip of his second term
- The US president is being hosted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at a lavish lunch
- Trump is hoping to secure significant new investment in the US in the four-day trip to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE
- Trump’s itinerary notably does not include Israel, with economic issues – rather than diplomatic or security concerns – atop Trump’s priority list, writes our North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher
- Arab leaders are certain to press Trump to do more to ease suffering in Gaza, says our chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet
Trump has spoken to released Gaza hostage, US special envoy says
Meanwhile in Israel, Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East – Steve Witkoff – says he is “honoured” to have met with released US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander, and “welcome him home”.
The 21-year-oldhad been serving in the Israeli army on the border of Gaza when he was captured by Hamas on 7 October 2023. He was released yesterday after 19 months in captivity.
“The world is inspired by his courage and resilience. His return gives hope to so many”, Witkoff writes in a post on social media.
He says they spoke to US President Donald Trump on the phone, and shared a picture of them appearing to do so.
Witkoff, who is spearheading the Trump administrations efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of those held there, adds: “We remain committed to bringing every last hostage home.”
As the leaders have lunch – a reminder of Trump’s Saudi Arabia schedule
As the Saudi and US delegations have lunch at Riyadh’s royal court, let’s have a quick reminder of what Donald Trump is up to in the Middle East:
- The US president – aboard Air Force One – was escorted into Riyadh by fighter jets, as he arrived in Saudi Arabia for the start of his four day visit to the region
- It marks the first major foreign tour of the US president’s second term. A key focus will be securing significant investment for the US economy – with rumours of a $100bn (£75.7bn) arms deal on the cards
- Handshakes have already been exchanged between Trump, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and VIPs attending lunch in Riyadh – among them the heads of OpenAI and Nvidia, as well as Trump adviser and Tesla mogul Elon Musk
- Notably absent from the trip so far, though, is any discussion with Israeli officials over the war in Gaza. Our North America correspondent has more on how Israel lobbied in vain for Trump to add the country to his itinerary
- Later on today, we’ll have updates as Trump attends a Saudi-US investment forum, before toasting the day with a lavish Saudi state dinner
You can follow along with us, by pressing watch live at the top of the page.
Handshakes galore with key business figures
Donald Trump and Mohammed bin Salman spent about an hour greeting the gathered Saudi-US officials, senior military figures and business leaders.
That marathon handshake session has just concluded. Some well-known faces were there, here’s who we spotted:
Arab leaders likely to press Trump to do more in Gaza
President Trump’s visit is taking place at a very sensitive time in this region.
Arab leaders are certain to press him to do more to ease the suffering in Gaza, bring the remaining hostages home, and pressure Israel to move towards a ceasefire.
Trump has made it clear he also wants this war to end but it’s still unclear how much he is able, and willing, to do on his four-day trip.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an effort to highlight his own close relationship with the US president, said yesterday they both agreed on Israel’s war aims – which includes defeating Hamas.
Trump calls himself the world’s best peacemaker but he also expects his regional partners to do more to solve their own crises.
“The US doesn’t have the bandwidth and the ability to manage all these crises anymore,“ Sanam Vakil of the Chatham House think tank told me.
But President Trump’s words, and warnings, carry weight in this region.
Many, most of all in Gaza, will be waiting to see what he says, and does.
Elon Musk among VIPs attending Riyadh lunch
Elon Musk, President Trump’s adviser and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, is among numerous VIP guests attending the lunch in Riyadh’s royal court, according to the official participant list.
Horses, handshakes and motorcades – Trump visits Saudi Royal Court
We’re continuing to see images of Trump’s state visit to the Saudi Royal Court – you can see pictures of the official ceremony below.
Coffee and tea ceremony under way
The state visit is well under way now, as Donald Trump and Mohammed bin Salman take their places at the head of the ceremonial blue room inside the Saudi Royal Court.
Servers are going around the room, filling the cups of dozens of US and Saudi officials with coffee and tea.
Trump arrives at Saudi Royal Court
Trump is arriving at the Saudi Royal Court for an official arrival ceremony.
The US president is due to attend a coffee and tea service in the ceremonial blue room, a lunch with CEOs, bilateral meetings and an agreement signing, the BBC’s US partner, CBS News, reports.
The Al Yamamah Palace in Riyadh is home to the Saudi Royal Court, and it is the official residence of the King of Saudi Arabia.
Arms sales worth $100bn reportedly among US-Saudi deals
An agreement for Saudi Arabia to buy more than $100bn of US arms and other military equipment is widely reported to be among the deals Trump is due to announce on this trip.
Missiles, radar systems and transport aircraft are reportedly part of the package.
The US has been a longstanding arms supplier to Saudi Arabia, but that relationship faltered in 2021 when the Biden administration stopped selling Riyadh offensive weapons, citing concerns about the country’s role in the war in neighbouring Yemen.
The 2018 killing of US-based Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was also widely reported to be a factor – a US intelligence report found that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved the murder, but Saudi Arabia described it as “false”.
The Biden White House resumed the sale of offensive weapons last year, saying the Saudis had stopped bombing Yemen. Some commentators said the US was seeking Saudi assistance to help end the conflict in Gaza and aid its future reconstruction.
Trump teased ‘earth-shattering’ announcement during trip
President Trump had spoken of an “earth-shattering” announcement during this visit. It’s still not clear what he was referring to.
It could point to the mega deals he’s expected to sign on his three stops, totalling more than a trillion dollars in investment in the US economy.
There was speculation he could rename the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf to please Arab leaders he’s meeting on this first official tour.
But it’s still unclear if he will go ahead with a move which would cause significant upset in Iran.
“It could have been a trial balloon to test reactions,” Sanam Vakil of the Chatham House think tank told me. Or there could be moves towards a regional defence pact.
Significantly, a broader normalisation including Israel, that President Biden also tried to achieve, is not on the agenda now while the grievous Gaza war grinds on.
And with President Trump, there’s always the unpredictable too.
Why is Trump in the Middle East?
Donald Trump has begun his first major international tour of his second term as president, where he’ll visit Gulf states over the next four days for bilateral talks.
A key focus of the trip will be securing significant new investment for the US economy.
Securing new investments in the US from Gulf states, and particularly from their state-backed sovereign wealth funds, will help Trump to signal back home that his “America First” agenda is delivering results.
The push comes amid economic headwinds, as Trump’s new import tariffs have significantly disrupted global trade, confidence, and the US economy itself.
Today, Trump is meeting the country’s de facto leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Later, he will attend a Saudi-US investment forum in Riyadh, featuring CEOs from BlackRock, Palantir, Citigroup, IBM, Qualcomm, Alphabet, and Franklin Templeton, in an effort to draw top Wall Street and Silicon Valley leaders to Saudi Arabia.
Trump is then expected to attend a summit of Gulf leaders in the city on Wednesday, before travelling to Qatar that same day.
He will then end his four-day trip in the United Arab Emirates on Friday.
Israel notably absent from Trump’s Middle East itinerary
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was the first foreign leader to visit Donald Trump after he returned to the White House earlier this year. Now Trump is in the Middle East for his first major foreign trip, but his itinerary notably does not include Israel.
Israeli officials had reportedly privately lobbied the Trump administration to add their nation to his itinerary – efforts that proved to be in vain.
While US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee asserted on Saturday that US-Israeli relations remain strong, the snub, along with recent US diplomatic efforts, suggests that American priorities in the region may be diverting from its longtime ally.
Monday’s release of Israeli American hostage Edan Alexander was the result of direct US-Hamas talks that bypassed Israel. Other US moves, including negotiating a ceasefire with the Houthi rebels in Yemen that didn’t include Israeli targets and opening direct talks with Iran over the nation’s nuclear programme, have also surprised Israeli officials.
Trump’s second term began with reports of his personal negotiator, Steve Witkoff, berating Netanyahu over his reluctance to agree to a Gaza prisoner-hostage exchange and a temporary ceasefire.
And despite a second visit by Netanyahu to the White House for trade negotiations in April, the two nations have yet to ink a deal.
On this trip, economic issues – rather than diplomatic or security concerns – are atop Trump’s priority list. And by that metric, the Arab nations, with their vast concentrations of wealth, have a decided advantage over Israel, no matter how many times Netanyahu stops by the Oval Office.
Israel may be left hoping that at some point soon, American interests will shift.
Initial meeting between US and Saudi leaders begins
Donald Trump and Mohammed bin Salman are sitting down for an initial meeting at King Khalid airport in Riyadh, next to portraits of members of the Saudi Royal family.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is also present at the meeting.
We’ll bring you more details of what they’re discussing once we have them.
Trump’s senior officials meet Saudi’s Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman has just greeted other senior US officials travelling with Trump, including Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman greets Trump
Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, often known by his initials MBS, has greeted Trump at King Khalid airport.
The pair shook hands and will shortly head off to a hotel for a private meeting, before the rest of Trump’s trip to Riyadh and the wider region.
Trump touches down in Saudi Arabia
Trump is stepping off Air Force One, with Saudi military members stationed by a striking purple carpet laid out for the US president.
He is due to be met by Saudi leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman shortly, then the pair will head off to a hotel for a private meeting.
As we’ve been reporting, the US president will spend today and part of tomorrow in the capital Riyadh, before heading off to see other key allies in Gulf – Qatar the UAE.
Royal Saudi Air Force jets escort Air Force One
Royal Saudi Air Force F-15s escorted Air Force One as it approached Riyadh moments ago, ahead of Trump’s multi-day tour in the Middle East.
We’ve just had these striking pictures taken from aboard Air Force One.
Air Force One lands in Saudi Arabia
Donald Trump’s presidential aircraft, Air Force One, has just landed in Saudi Arabia, kicking off the US president’s first major international tour of his second term.
You can watch Trump’s arrival by pressing watch live at the top of this page.
