President Donald Trump announced the removal of long-standing U.S. sanctions on Syria and secured a $600 billion investment commitment from Saudi Arabia during his visit to the Gulf, signaling a major shift in U.S. foreign policy.
President Donald Trump kicked off his Gulf trip on Tuesday with a surprise announcement that the U.S. will lift sanctions on Syria, marking a significant shift in U.S. foreign policy. The move is seen as a response to a request from Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who had pushed for the removal of the sanctions during their discussions.
The lifting of sanctions on Syria, imposed in 2004 and tightened following the civil war in 2011, is a major shift from the U.S. position of treating Syria as a state sponsor of terrorism. It represents a potential turning point for Syria, which has been ravaged by over a decade of civil war. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani called the development a "new start" in Syria's path to reconstruction.
The U.S. also struck a historic defense deal with Saudi Arabia, which includes a massive $142 billion arms package, described by the White House as the largest "defense cooperation agreement" in U.S. history. The deal, which includes over a dozen U.S. defense companies, spans air and missile defense, air force and space, maritime security, and communications. Although not confirmed, reports suggest that the package may include the much-discussed Lockheed F-35 jets. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman indicated that the total value of the deal could reach $1 trillion with further agreements.
This historic arms deal comes amid U.S. efforts to strengthen ties with Saudi Arabia to counterbalance Iran’s influence in the region and improve relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. While Trump’s administration has continued to support Saudi Arabia, particularly in terms of energy security, the relationship has been strained in the wake of the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, allegedly ordered by the Saudi Crown Prince. However, Trump refrained from addressing the Khashoggi issue during his visit, instead praising the Crown Prince as an “incredible man.”
Trump’s Gulf visit also included a focus on investment. He and several high-profile U.S. business leaders, including Elon Musk and OpenAI’s Sam Altman, attended an investment forum in Riyadh. The visit emphasized Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 plan, which aims to diversify its economy beyond oil, with massive development projects like the NEOM city.
In a departure from his earlier Middle Eastern trips, Trump did not plan to visit Israel, which raised questions about the U.S. priorities regarding its close ally. He did, however, express hope that Saudi Arabia would normalize relations with Israel, following the examples of other Arab states. While progress remains slow, Trump’s efforts to encourage further rapprochement in the region continue.
As part of his broader strategy, Trump also warned Iran, calling it "the most destructive force" in the Middle East and reiterating the U.S. stance that Iran must never be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons. He suggested that he would be open to negotiating a new deal with Iran but emphasized that failure to come to the table would lead to further U.S. pressure.
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