President Donald Trump was heading to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, the first leg of his three-nation visit to the Middle East this week meant to tackle multiple crises and conflicts across the region.
His first stop is a visit to Saudi Arabia鈥檚 de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The two are to hold talks on U.S. efforts to dismantle Iran鈥檚 nuclear program, end the war in Gaza, hold down oil prices and more.
The crown prince is also expected to fete Trump with a formal dinner and a gathering of members of the Gulf Cooperation Council 鈥 made up of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates 鈥 later on Tuesday.
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Iran is mostly quiet about Trump鈥檚 trip as it negotiates with US over the nuclear program
Previous trips by U.S. presidents to the kingdom have drawn comments about Saudi Arabia being 鈥渕ilked鈥 by the Americans for oil and dollars for military sales.
But this time, Iranian newspapers and state television largely are not discussing Trump鈥檚 trip in detail.
The quiet may be due to the fact Riyadh and Tehran have been in a Chinese-mediated detente since 2023. Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, a brother to the Saudi crown prince, also traveled to Tehran in a high-level visit unthinkable in recent years of tensions between the two Mideast rivals.
Hussein Ibish, an analyst at the Washington-based Arab Gulf States Institute, said Saudi Arabia鈥檚 economic development projects at home means the kingdom wants peace across the region.
Saudi Arabia prepares
for Trump鈥檚 arrival
American and Saudi flags are lining the streets in Saudi Arabia鈥檚 capital ahead of Trump’s arrival, along with a noticeable security presence in Riyadh of all American-made police cars.
At a 鈥淢edia Oasis鈥 set up for journalists, giant video screens showed off Saudi construction projects like its futuristic NEOM city and its hosting of the 2034 FIFA World Cup. A mobile McDonald鈥檚 sat in the parking lot, still shuttered.
Prince Turki al-Faisal, who led Saudi intelligence for more than two decades and served as ambassador to the U.S. and Britain, wrote in the English-language Arab News newspaper to Trump that 鈥渙ur doors and hearts are open to you.鈥
Tightly controlled Saudi media outlets express hope for Trump visit
Saudi Arabia鈥檚 tightly controlled media offered positive comments regarding Trump鈥檚 visit. Columnists in the kingdom sought to describe the visit as part of a strategic reset in American-Saudi relations, which date back to when then-President Franklin Roosevelt met King Saud aboard the USS Quincy in 1945.
鈥淢any countries around the world, including in Europe, are following Saudi Arabia鈥檚 lead in managing their affairs with Trump,鈥 wrote Abdulrahman al-Rashed in Asharq Al-Awsat. 鈥淭he era of relying solely on political and military alliances with Washington is over; the focus now is on forging shared interests.鈥
Faisal J. Abbas of the English-language Arab News wrote that 鈥渢he significance of the visit cannot be overstated 鈥 nor could its timing be more crucia,鈥 given Saudi Arabia鈥檚 mediation in the Russia-Ukraine war and the recent conflict between India and Pakistan.
He also acknowledged business deals would be part of the trip as well.
鈥淧utting America first does not mean ignoring opportunities abroad; it means seizing them,鈥 Abbas added.
Trump’s trip to Saudi Arabia comes as oil trades around $64 a barrel
Trump鈥檚 trip to Saudi Arabia comes as the president can already point to one thing for American voters 鈥 oil prices are down.
It鈥檚 not Trump鈥檚 doing, though he鈥檚 repeatedly criticized Saudi Arabia and the OPEC+ oil cartel over higher oil prices in the past. Those prices translate directly back into gasoline prices in the United States, which can become a major pain point for the U.S. public. The average price for a gallon of gasoline in the U.S. is $3.13, according to AAA, down from $3.61 a year ago.
Right now, benchmark Brent crude trades around $64 a barrel. That鈥檚 higher than when the around $50 a barrel it traded on his first trip to the kingdom as president in 2017. However, it鈥檚 nowhere near the spikes seen after Russia鈥檚 full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Then, the average gallon of gas in the U.S. was $5.01 at its height.
Economic uncertainty over Trump鈥檚 tariff policy has depressed global energy prices 鈥 as has OPEC more rapidly opening up production than initially thought. Saudi Arabia in particular needs that extra revenue as the crow prince’s expansive development plans and the kingdom hosting the upcoming 2034 FIFA World Cup will need hundreds of billions of dollars of investments.
Syria welcomes Trump鈥檚 statements on mulling the removal of sanctions
The Syrian Foreign Ministry says the sanctions on the country were imposed under the government of ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad and helped in removing him from power.
But they are now harming the Syrian people, the ministry says, describing Trump鈥檚 comments about removing them as 鈥渁n encouraging step鈥 to end the suffering of Syrians.
The ministry said in a statement late Monday that the sanctions are hindering reconstruction in the war torn country.
The Syrian people are looking for the 鈥渇ull lifting of the sanctions鈥 as a step that boosts peace and prosperity both in Syria and the region, and open the way for international cooperation, it said.
Trump starts Middle East trip with challenges and certainty
Trump had intended to focus on pressing wealthy Gulf Arab nations during the Mideast trip to pour billions in new investment into the United States.
But Trump finds himself navigating a series of geopolitical crises 鈥 and searching for glimmers of hope in the deep well of global turmoil.
Those challenges are casting greater import on his first extended overseas trip of his second term, but the president is brimming with an overabundance of confidence about some of the world鈥檚 most intractable problems.
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