RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) 鈥 President Donald Trump told Gulf leaders on Wednesday he urgently wants 鈥渢o make a deal鈥 with Iran to wind down its nuclear program but Tehran must end its support of proxy groups throughout the region as part of any potential agreement.
Iran “must stop sponsoring terror, halt its bloody proxy wars and permanently and verifiably cease pursuit of nuclear weapons,” Trump said in remarks at a meeting of leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council hosted by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Saudi capital. “They cannot have a nuclear weapon.鈥
The U.S. and Iran have engaged in since early last month focused on Iran’s nuclear program. Trump has repeatedly said that he believes brokering a deal is possible but that the window is closing.
The Republican president’s strongly worded push on Iran to cease , Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen come as its proxy network has faced significant setbacks in the 19 months since Hamas launched .
In Iran, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called Trump’s remarks 鈥渄eceitful” but did not directly address the U.S. leader’s call on Iran to cease support of proxy groups.
Later, Trump, in an exchange with reporters aboard Air Force One, urged Iran 鈥渢o make the right decision” about its nuclear program “because something鈥檚 going to happen one way or the other.鈥
鈥淪o we鈥檒l either do it friendly or we鈥檒l do it very unfriendly,鈥 Trump warned. 鈥淎nd that won鈥檛 be pleasant.鈥
Trump said that he believed the moment was ripe 鈥渇or a future free from the grip of Hezbollah terrorists.鈥 Hezbollah is severely weakened after its in which much of its top leadership was killed, and after losing a key ally with the fall of former Syrian President Bashar Assad, a conduit for Iran to send arms.
Lifting sanctions on Syria
Trump’s comments on Iran came after he met Wednesday with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, with the onetime insurgent leader who spent years imprisoned by U.S. forces after being captured in Iraq.
Trump agreed to meet al-Sharaa at the end of . He then headed to Qatar, where he is being honored with a state visit. His Mideast tour also will take him to the United Arab Emirates later this week.
Al-Sharaa was named president of Syria in January, a month after a stunning offensive by insurgent groups led by al-Sharaa鈥檚 , or HTS, stormed Damascus and .
Trump said he decided to meet with al-Sharaa after being encouraged to do so by Prince Mohammed and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He also pledged to lift yearslong sanctions on Syria.
Trump told reporters that the meeting with al-Sharaa went “great” and described him as a 鈥測oung, attractive guy鈥 with a 鈥渧ery strong past.鈥
鈥淗e鈥檚 got a real shot at holding it together,” Trump said.
Prince Mohammed joined Trump and al-Sharaa for the meeting, which lasted 33 minutes. Erdogan also took part in the talks via video conference.
The prince said Trump’s decision to engage with al-Sharaa and lift the sanctions will 鈥渁lleviate the suffering of the Syrian people鈥 and spur a 鈥渘ew chapter鈥 for the nation.
Formerly known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, al-Sharaa joined the ranks of al-Qaida insurgents battling U.S. forces in Iraq after the U.S.-led invasion. He still faces a warrant for his arrest on terrorism charges in Iraq. The U.S. once offered $10 million for information about his whereabouts because of his links to al-Qaida.
Al-Sharaa returned to his home country of Syria after the conflict began in 2011 and led al-Qaida鈥檚 branch called the Nusra Front. He changed the name of his group to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and cut links with al-Qaida.
The sanctions go back to the rule of Assad, who was ousted in December, and were intended to inflict major pain on his economy.
Both the Biden and Trump administrations left the sanctions in place after Assad鈥檚 fall as they sought to take the measure of al-Sharaa.
State visit to Qatar
After meeting with members of the GCC 鈥 which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates 鈥 Trump flew to Qatar, the second stop in his Mideast tour.
Like the Saudis did a day earlier, Qatar rolled out the red carpet for Trump. Trump was greeted at the airport by Qatar鈥檚 emir Sheikh Tamim Al Thani, and as it neared the capital city of Doha.
Trump as he sat down for talks with the emir at the Royal Court told the Qatari leader he was impressed with the 鈥減erfecto鈥 marble as well as the camels that took part in his grand arrival ceremony.
Al Thani, for his part, said he had high hopes for Trump’s efforts at ending the grinding war in Gaza.
鈥淚 know that you are a man of peace,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 know that you want to bring peace to this region.鈥
Qatar, like the other Gulf Arab states, is an autocratic nation where political parties are banned and speech is tightly controlled. It is overseen by its ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Sheikh Tamim took power in June 2013 when his father stepped down.
Qatar has also played a central role in pay-to-play-style scandals around the globe.
In Israel, authorities are investigating allegations that to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to launch PR campaigns to improve the Gulf nation鈥檚 image among Israelis.
Two European Union lawmakers were accused of taking money from Doha in U.S. prosecutors in 2020 to secure the tournament in the country in 2022.
In 2024, RTX Corp., the defense contractor , agreed to pay more than $950 million to resolve allegations that it to secure business with Qatar. Doha always has denied wrongdoing.
Qatar also has served as a key mediator, particularly with the militant group Hamas as the international community pursues a ceasefire for the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. Qatar also served as host of the negotiations between the United States and the Taliban that led to America鈥檚 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Qatar is home to Al-Udeid Air Base, a sprawling facility that hosts the forward headquarters of the U.S. military鈥檚 Central Command.
The oil-and-gas rich country is also in over its offer to provide Trump with the gift of a luxury Boeing 747-8 that the U.S. could use as Air Force One while new versions of the plane are under construction by Boeing.
The Qatari government has said a final decision hasn鈥檛 been made. But Trump has defended the idea even as critics argue it would amount to a president accepting an astonishingly valuable gift from a foreign government.
Trump has indicated he would refurbish the aircraft and it would later be donated to his post-White House presidential library. He says he would not use the plane once he leaves office.
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AP writers Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, Tia Goldenberg in Tel Aviv and Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran contributed.
