RIYADH: US President Donald Trump, on a high-profile tour of the Gulf, announced a significant shift in American foreign policy by pledging to lift longstanding sanctions on Syria, alongside sealing a mammoth $142 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia.
Speaking in the Saudi capital on Monday, Mr Trump called the Kingdom “our strongest partner,” marking the first stop of his major foreign tour aimed at bolstering economic ties and investment flows between the United States and Gulf nations. “The people of Syria now deserve a chance at greatness,” said Mr Trump, confirming the removal of over a decade-long economic embargo on Damascus, originally imposed in response to the Assad regime’s brutal crackdown on opposition forces during the civil war.
The former president’s remarks were made in the presence of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is said to have played a key role in lobbying for the removal of Syria sanctions. “Oh, what I do for the crown prince,” Mr Trump quipped, suggesting Riyadh’s influence in the decision. Syria’s foreign minister, Asaad Shibani, hailed the move as a “new start” for the war-torn country. The announcement follows the ousting of former President Bashar al-Assad late last year and the subsequent formation of a transitional government led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, with whom Mr Trump is scheduled to meet in Riyadh on Wednesday.
The sanctions had been a major hurdle in Syria’s reconstruction efforts, with much of the country left in ruins after 13 years of civil conflict. Former US ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, welcomed the decision, saying the lifting of sanctions would “enable vital international capital flows from Gulf and Arab states” to help rebuild the country’s shattered infrastructure. The arms deal, meanwhile, marks one of the largest defense pacts in recent years and was part of a broader economic agreement that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman suggested could reach $1 trillion in future investments.
Trump’s visit also carried symbolic weight, echoing his first foreign trip as president in 2017, which likewise began in Riyadh. The trip now includes stops in Qatar and the UAE — both key regional players — as the former US president seeks to strengthen Gulf partnerships amid rising global competition over AI and defense technologies. Accompanying Mr Trump were prominent business leaders, including Elon Musk, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, and Nvidia’s Jensen Huang. The delegation signals a deepening link between Gulf wealth and American innovation, particularly in the AI sector.
Nvidia’s Huang announced that the tech giant will supply over 18,000 of its latest AI chips to Saudi firm Humain, aligning with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 agenda to diversify its oil-dependent economy. In his address, Mr Trump expressed hope that Saudi Arabia might join the Abraham Accords — a US-brokered agreement under his first administration that normalized relations between Israel and several Arab states. However, Prince Mohammed has maintained that any such agreement remains contingent upon a “permanent end” to the war in Gaza and the establishment of a Palestinian state.
While touching only briefly on the ongoing Gaza conflict, Trump said the people of Gaza deserved a “better future,” blaming Hamas for perpetuating violence through its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. Mr Trump’s visit drew a stark contrast with that of his successor, President Joe Biden, who in 2022 faced a cooler reception in Riyadh and was criticized for reversing his campaign stance that labelled Saudi Arabia a “pariah” state following the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. In contrast, Trump’s visit was marked by pomp and pageantry, reflecting his longstanding rapport with the Saudi royal family and his emphasis on deal-making over diplomatic rebukes.
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