By Joke Kujenya
UNITED STATES (US) President Donald Trump has touched down in Riyadh, launching a bold three-nation tour through the Persian Gulf aimed at securing record-breaking investment deals and redefining America’s role in a region scarred by conflict and geopolitical realignment.
Greeted personally by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the tarmac, Trump’s first state visit of his second term breaks with decades of precedent and signals a full-throttle pivot towards transactional diplomacy.
His agenda is clear: win massive financial commitments, deepen military partnerships, and reset Washington’s fractured influence across the Middle East.
Trump’s first stop in Saudi Arabia is already yielding seismic figures.
The Crown Prince has raised his initial pledge of $600 billion in US-bound investments to a potential $1 trillion—an unprecedented cash infusion spanning defence systems, energy, technology, and artificial intelligence.
Missile sales and a Saudi fighter jet deal headline the initial wave of agreements, with broader discussions under way around a civil nuclear programme and long-delayed US-Saudi security pact.
Trump is joined by a delegation of heavyweight business and tech leaders for the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum. Later today, he’s expected to announce agreements in arms and AI technologies at a summit with American investors.
Wednesday will bring Gulf Cooperation Council leaders to the table, where one extraordinary development is already anticipated: Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who deposed Bashar al-Assad, is expected in Riyadh—raising speculation that Saudi Arabia may be manoeuvring for Trump’s recognition of Syria’s new leadership.
Trump’s Middle East doctrine sharply diverges from that of former President Joe Biden, whose attempt to isolate Gulf leaders following the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi froze relations.
Now, with the Biden-era arms and AI export restrictions rescinded just days ago, the floodgates are opening.
The United Arab Emirates has pledged $1.4 trillion in investment over the next decade, with plans to dominate global AI markets by 2030. Their shopping list begins with American-made semiconductors.
Qatar, meanwhile, is pulling diplomatic and ceremonial levers to signal its strategic weight. Trump will arrive in Doha aboard a royal Qatari Boeing 747-8—a plane typically reserved for the Emir’s family.
Doha is also offering itself as a go-between in the stalled Gaza negotiations, having recently facilitated the release of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander. Trump hailed the move as “monumental” in efforts to end hostilities.
No visit to Israel is on the itinerary. While previous Gulf overtures were contingent on Saudi-Israeli normalisation, Riyadh now insists Palestinian statehood must precede any such diplomatic breakthrough.
Trump appears prepared to move forward regardless, with one advisor calling Israeli normalisation “dead.” Analysts suggest Gulf leaders are angling to extract maximum strategic gains while Trump is focused on sealing deals rather than brokering peace.
From Tehran to Tel Aviv, the region is on edge. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has made quiet visits to both Riyadh and Doha in the days leading up to Trump’s tour, likely delivering indirect messages to Washington amid failed nuclear talks in Oman.
Whether those efforts bear fruit remains uncertain, but Trump’s Gulf allies are making one thing clear: this is their moment to rewrite the rules of engagement—and cash in.
