U.S. President Donald Trump, whose family has major business interests in the Gulf countries he is visiting this week, said there was no talk of building a Trump Tower in Syria or golf during his meetings in Saudi Arabia. Trump’s family has forged multi-billion dollar business deals in the Gulf, moves that Democrats and other critics say could open pathways to improperly influence the president (Read more at AOL).
Trump unveiled an arms sales package to Saudi Arabia worth nearly $142bn this week. A White House statement called it "the largest defense cooperation agreement” in American history. Although it didn’t specify which arms the US would sell Saudi Arabia, F-35s are on the table, the officials said (Read more at Middle East Eye).
“If, for instance, the US and Iran can successfully conclude their nuclear negotiations, that will remove a huge burden of risk in our region, and will open up significant avenues for even greater cooperation, greater regional integration, greater region cooperation, trade, investment,” in very significant ways, Prince Faisal stated, adding that Kingdom “fully supports” the current nuclear negotiations between US and Iran (Read more at Iran Front Page).
Saudi Arabia’s PIF, one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds with over $900 billion in assets, sits at the heart of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s economic transformation agenda. Saudi Arabia is in a race to secure more outside money to keep ambitious plans to diversify its economy on track. The country set itself a lofty target to attract $100 billion in annual foreign direct investment by the turn of the decade (Read more at Investing).
President Donald Trump urged Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords while giving a speech in the country on Tuesday as part of his first overseas trip in his second term (Read more at MSN).
As Air Force One approached Riyadh, Saudi pilots in six American-made F-15 fighter jets escorted the plane. After a traditional coffee ceremony inside the royal terminal at the airport, Trump’s limousine was flanked by riders on white Arabian horses carrying American and Saudi flags. An honor guard was lined up with golden swords (Read more at AP).
Nvidia stock gained 5.6 per cent on news that it would supply 18,000 AI chips to Saudi Arabia. The company's market value touched $3 trillion (Read more at Livemint).
"Saudi Arabia has proved the critics totally wrong," Trump said. Complimenting the gleaming skyscrapers in the desert capital, Trump said: "The transformation that has occurred under the leadership of King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad has been truly extraordinary." "I've never seen anything at that scale happen before," he said (Read more at Jakarta Post).
Tuesday’s agreement is designed to help modernise the Saudi military with “state-of-the-art warfighting equipment and services from over a dozen US defense firms”, according to the White House fact sheet. “The first key component of this is upgrading the defence capabilities of Saudi Arabia.” (Read more at Aljazeera).
The partnership includes agreements for energy, mining, and defense (Read more at Reuters).
Saudi Aramco will sign memoranda of understanding with Sempra and NextDecade for the supply of ~6.2M tons of liquefied natural gas from the U.S., Aramco CEO Amin Nasser said (Read more at MSN).
Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) led eight other House Democrats who are Jewish in a letter yesterday urging U.S. President Donald Trump to keep cooperation with Saudi Arabia on a civilian nuclear program “explicitly” tied to the kingdom’s normalization with Israel (Read more at JNS).
"With this trip, we're adding over $1 trillion more in terms of investment into our country and buying our products," Trump told the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum in Riyadh (Read more at Reuters).
United States President Donald Trump says that forging formal relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel would be a “dream”, but he wants the kingdom to do it on its “own time” (Read more at Aljazeera).
Musk’s reported invitation comes on the sidelines of United States President Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East. Elon Musk’s relationship with Riyadh has notably improved since the start of Trump’s second term as United States president. Highlighting this improvement was Tesla’s launch in Saudi (Read more at Teslarati).
Donald Trump visits Saudi Arabia this week, 80 years after President Franklin D. Roosevelt laid the foundations of longstanding Saudi-U.S. relations based on an ironclad arrangement - the kingdom pumps oil, and the superpower provides security. Here is a timeline of U.S. presidential visits to Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter and one of Washington's most important allies: Roosevelt - 1945, Richard Nixon - 1974, Jimmy Carter - 1978, George H.W. Bush - 1990 and 1992, Bill Clinton - 1994, George W. Bush - 2008, Barack Obama - 2009, 2014, 2015, and 2016, Donald Trump - 2017, Joe Biden - 2022 (Read more at AOL).
The United States is no longer demanding that Saudi Arabia normalise ties with Israel as a condition for progress on its civil nuclear programme. Under former President Joe Biden, nuclear talks were an element of a wider US-Saudi deal tied to Riyadh’s goal of a defence treaty with Washington (Read more at Middle East Monitor).
Saudi Arabia has held off formally joining the BRICS bloc of nations despite attending a meeting in Brazil last week. The issue of BRICS membership has been diplomatically sensitive for Saudi Arabia since it was first invited to join in 2023, and remains so with President Donald Trump due to visit next week and Riyadh negotiating nuclear and technology deals (Read more at AOL).
As the world's largest oil exporter Saudi Arabia may not seem an obvious candidate for nuclear power, but it aims to reduce carbon emissions and free up crude for export under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 economic plan. However, Saudi Arabia has also said that if old foe Iran develops a nuclear weapon it would have to follow suit - a declaration apparently aimed at ramping up pressure on Tehran, but which has also fuelled concern about its own ambitions. A nuclear deal could be a sweetener in U.S. diplomatic efforts with the kingdom (Read more at AOL).
This move comes as Saudi Arabia accelerates its drive to become a global hub for battery and electric vehicle manufacturing. The Kingdom is investing heavily in mining and industrial development as part of its broader strategy to diversify the economy away from oil dependence under Vision 2030 (Read more at Mining.com).
Although Trump has the authority to alter the official US designation, he cannot enforce a global consensus on the name. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), which includes the United States as a member, is responsible for ensuring that all the world's seas, oceans, and navigable waters are uniformly surveyed and charted (Read more at The Mirror).
The sale includes 1,000 AIM-120C-8 AMRAAMs, 50 AIM-120C-8 AMRAAM guidance sections, and technical support. RTX is the principal contractor, and no known offset agreement has been proposed. The sale requires the approval of the US Congress to go through (Read more at Defense Post).
The arms sale involves 1,000 AIM-120C-8 advanced medium range air-to-air missiles, guidance sections and other technical support. The missiles will be built by RTX Corp of Tucson, Ariz (Read more at AP).
Saudi Arabia has set a ground rule for US President Donald Trump and his entourage ahead of their visit to the kingdom in May: keep talk of normalisation with Israel off the agenda. That was the message delivered by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud during his visit to Washington DC last month to plan Trump’s visit to the kingdom and in follow-up discussions among senior officials (Read more at Middle East Eye).
The offered package comes after the administration of former President Joe Biden unsuccessfully tried to finalise a defence pact with Riyadh as part of a broad deal that envisioned Saudi Arabia normalising ties with Israel (Read more at Daily Star).
KKR, a leading global investment firm, today announced that it is expanding its presence in the Middle East including the appointment of General David Petraeus (US Army, Ret.) as Chairman of KKR Middle East and the establishment of a dedicated investment team in the region led by Julian Barratt-Due, a Managing Director at KKR. These appointments build on KKR’s ongoing strategic commitment to the region, including having local offices since 2009 and deploying capital directly since 2019 (Read more at Yahoo Finance).
A so-called 123 agreement with Riyadh refers to Section 123 of the U.S. Atomic Energy Act of 1954 and is required to permit the U.S. government and American companies to work with entities in the kingdom to develop a civil nuclear industry. Saudi authorities have not agreed to the requirements under the act, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said. It specifies nine non-proliferation criteria a state must meet to keep it from using the technology to develop nuclear arms or transfer sensitive materials to others (Read more at AOL).
Chinese officials have been canvassing other trading partners about how to deal with the US tariffs, most recently talking to counterparts in Spain, Saudi Arabia and South Africa. China’s Commerce Minister Wang Wentao spoke to Saudi Arabia’s Commerce Minister Majid bin Abdullah al-Qasabi about enhancing cooperation with countries within the Gulf Cooperation Council (Read more at Arab Weekly).
Trump’s tariffs could give the kingdom the jolt it needs by crashing energy prices and making Chinese exports less competitive. Saudi Arabia and other energy-rich Gulf states could benefit as they become the new safe havens for manufacturers looking to reduce tariff risks. Saudi Arabia should be sending their trade representatives to the Trump administration right now, asking, ‘What was China providing you. Tell us what it is and we will make it in Saudi Arabia and provide a great trade deal (Read more at Middle East Eye).
Saudi Arabia has huge plans for EVs that Tesla has not been able to tap, partly because of an earlier feud between its billionaire CEO, Elon Musk and the kingdom's powerful Public Investment Fund (PIF) sovereign wealth fund that dates back to 2018. Relations between Riyadh and Musk have improved since he took a high-profile role in U.S. President Donald Trump's election campaign and then a top position in his administration (Read more at Daily Sabah).
Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud will also discuss Gaza and the status of Yemen's Houthis during meetings with U.S. government officials, the source said. The trip was scheduled before last week's U.S. tariffs announcement (Read more at Ammonnews).
The diplomats "agreed that the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces must return to peace talks, protect civilians, open humanitarian corridors, and return to civilian governance." The call came after the Sudanese army said last week it had retaken full control of the capital Khartoum after weeks of attacks by the paramilitaries (Read more at France 24).
Trump's decision to go to Saudi Arabia on his first foreign trip signals how close the relationship between the Trump administration and Gulf countries has become, especially when it comes to economic cooperation and investment (Read more at Axios).
The brand has had considerable success in neighboring United Arab Emirates, where most ride-hailing apps offer electric vehicles. Trump said this month he would likely make his first trip abroad to Saudi Arabia, after asking the kingdom in January to spend upwards of $1 trillion in the U.S. economy, over four years, including military purchases (Read more at CNBC).
The Oregon-based firm will provide its next-generation Lightweight Vehicle Surveillance System (LVSS) to a “high-profile military entity” in the Kingdom. Teledyne FLIR has secured a $7.8-million contract to deliver long-range thermal surveillance systems and associated support services (Read more at Defense Post).
Sources at the Pentagon on Monday said the two sides also discussed security measures against Iran. Asked if the US would help defend Saudi Arabia against an attack by Iran, Hegseth confirmed the two allies were discussing the issue (Read more at Arab Weekly).
An aide close to Zelenskyy said that as of Saturday evening, Ukraine has still not been invited to the peace talks between the U.S. and Russia in Saudi Arabia (Read more at NBC News).
The draft ideas will be discussed at a regional meeting in Riyadh this month. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, or MbS, had warm relations with Trump during the first administration and he's central to Arab ties in the new Trump era. But the kingdom was angered by the U.S. president's Gaza idea, which nixes its demand for a clear path to Palestinian statehood in return for normalizing Saudi ties with Israel (Read more at Yahoo News).
The ministry said it "commends the phone call" between Trump and Putin and the "possibility" of hosting a summit in the kingdom (Read more at Moscow Times).
The trip will center on freeing American and all other hostages from Hamas captivity, advancing to Phase II of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, and countering the destabilizing activities of the Iranian regime and its proxies (Read more at State Department Website).
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Russia's sovereign wealth fund chief Kirill Dmitriev were involved in negotiations over the release of U.S. teacher Marc Fogel from a Russian prison. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who visited Saudi Arabia in 2023, said last September that he was grateful to Mohammed bin Salman for his role in the previous exchange (Read more at AOL).
Among other attendees poised to attend the Miami summit are TikTok CEO, Shou Zi Chew, Oracle CEO Safra Catz, as well as Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of the $925 billion Saudi Public Investment Fund, according to the FII website. The public website does not list Trump as an attendee (Read more at Middle East Monitor).
But some Russian diplomats and intelligence officials reportedly oppose holding the summit there due to the countries’ close ties with the U.S. military and intelligence services. While Saudi Arabia and the UAE have not joined Western sanctions or criticized Russia’s invasion, their leaders have maintained diplomatic ties with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Neither country is a member of the International Criminal Court, which issued an arrest warrant for Putin in 2023 over alleged war crimes. Putin visited both Saudi Arabia and the UAE later that year. Russia has already ruled out NATO member Turkey as a potential summit venue, citing its role in failed peace talks held in Istanbul in March 2022 (Read more at Moscow Times).
Watchdog groups contacted by USA TODAY said they’re concerned that the call suggests Trump may seek to exploit his vast new political power and influence to help the Trump Organization and its sprawling business empire (Read more at USA Today)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said on Friday from Damascus that his country was engaged in an active dialogue with Europe and the U.S. to help lift economic sanctions imposed on Syria (Source: Yahoo News).
The commitment comes from President Donald Trump’s first call with a foreign leader in his second term. “I’ll be asking the crown prince, who’s a fantastic guy, to round it out to around one trillion,” Trump said. “And I think they’ll do that because we’ve been very good to them.” (Read more at SAN)
Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud also said in Davos that he hoped President Trump's approach to Iran would be met with a willingness by Tehran to positively engage with the U.S. administration and address the issue of its nuclear programme (Read more at USNews).
the cash-rich kingdom has encountered multiple impediments in purchasing the stealthy US combat aircraft. For one, Saudi Arabia has been accused of carrying out widespread human rights violations and civilian deaths through its intervention in Yemen’s civil war. Currently, only three countries have an operational fifth-generation stealth fighter jet, including the United States, China, and Russia. China has two fifth-generation stealth aircraft: the J-20 Mighty Dragon and the newly unveiled J-35. Since China is unlikely to export the J-20 for security reasons, the J-35A, designed with an eye on export, is the only available option for an interested buyer. Unlike the US and China, Russia has one stealth fighter to offer, Su-57 Felon. The latest reports in local Turkish media claim that Saudi Arabia is mulling the purchase of 100 KAAN fifth-generation stealth fighter jets from Turkey (Read more at Euroasiantimes).
The Pentagon said that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. CQ Brown, and Chief of General Staff, Gen. Fayyad Al-Ruwaili, spoke about the importance of peacefully de-escalating tensions in the region. The two generals spoke about ways to increase the strength of the bilateral relationship between the US and Saudi Arabian militaries, including capacity building, military training, and exercises (Read more at Al Arabiya)
“Now the opportunity is there, and I know this is something that the president (Trump) will be focused on, to broaden that out with the Saudis,” Blinken said (Read more at Arab Weekly).
The Trump Organisation plans to build a Trump Tower in the Saudi capital Riyadh as part of a real estate expansion in the region. London-listed Dar Global’s chief executive said the other new joint project planned in Riyadh is a Trump Golf community similar to one launched in Oman in 2022 (Read more at Arab Weekly).
Saudi Arabia is now pushing for a more modest military cooperation agreement. Riyadh also softened its position on Palestinian statehood, telling Washington that a public commitment from Israel to a two-state solution could be enough for the Gulf kingdom to normalise relations (Read more at MSN).
The deal by Aramco Digital, the wholly-owned technology subsidiary of the oil giant, would be its first major transaction in the telecommunications industry as part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 plan, which focuses on technological advancements and economic diversification (Read more at Reuters).
Fresh attempts by the United States and Saudi Arabia to reach a defense pact are part of a wider effort to reshape regional and global dynamics, and to degrade Iran's influence, according to observers in Israel (Read more at JNS).
The United States and Saudi Arabia are discussing a potential security agreement that wouldn't involve a broader deal with Israel. The agreement under discussion is not a full defense treaty (Read more at USNews).
Saudi commentator Ali Shihabi says Kingdom does not have a favorite but is looking to work closely with whichever candidate wins to help resolve the Middle East conflict. Shihabi said Saudi Arabia may have historically leaned more toward the Republican Party, but the situation is different this time around, as in recent years the Kingdom’s relationship with the Democrats has vastly improved (Read more at Arabnews).
Potential US-Saudi agreements about trade and artificial intelligence are “not tied to any third parties” and “can progress probably quite quickly,” Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said. “Some of the more significant defence cooperation agreements are much more complicated. We would certainly welcome an opportunity to finish them before the (end of the Biden) administration’s term, but that’s reliant on other factors outside of our control,” he said (Read more at Arab Weekly).
Kushner, who is married to Trump's eldest daughter, Ivanka, has long faced criticism from Democratic figures regarding a $2 billion investment secured by his private equity fund, Affinity Partners. This funding from a Saudi Arabian fund led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was received six months after Kushner left his White House position in January 2021 (Read more at Newsweek).
"The proposed sale will improve the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s capability to meet current and future threats by enhancing the strength of its homeland defense," it said in a statement (Read more at Anadolu Ajansı).
The deal includes 220 Raytheon AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder Tactical Missiles, missile containers, support equipment, spares, missile software, training, and related technical assistance and program support. “This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by ensuring the readiness of a friendly country that continues to be an important force for political stability and economic growth in the Middle East,” the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement (Read more at Defense Post).
As part of their attempts to avoid being caught in the crossfire, Gulf states including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar are also refusing to let Israel fly over their airspace for any attack on Iran and have conveyed this to Washington. The moves by the Gulf states come after a diplomatic push by Tehran to persuade its Gulf neighbors to use their influence with Washington amid rising concerns Israel could target Iran's oil production facilities (Read more at Daily Sabah).
43 old Kushner has a close relationship with Saudi Arabia and has invested $2 billion in his firm Affinity Partners, and Mr. Kushner created it after he left the White House. They included discussions on the process of normalizing relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, a key diplomatic objective of the Biden and Trump administrations (Read more at CNA).
Saudi Arabia’s Commander of the Joint Forces, Lieutenant General Fahad bin Hamad Al Salman, received a delegation from the US armed forces in Riyadh on Sunday and discussed ways to strengthen the two countries' military partnership (Read more at Arabnews)
Prince Turki al-Faisal stated that “Israeli lobbyists” enjoyed tax-free status in the US because they were considered to be “philanthropic or humanitarian”, rather than as representing the interests of Israel. He said, “There are many tools that are available to the United States, not simply harsh talk, which seems to have gotten us nowhere. But is America ready to do that?” (Read more at Middle East Eye)
It would help the country train and run the most powerful AI models. Earlier this year, the US curtailed shipments of Nvidia’s advanced graphics cards out of concern that Saudi Arabia’s close ties with China could allow valuable AI secrets to flow there. Some who work for the Saudi Data and AI Authority, said the country is working to satisfy US security demands in an effort to get the chips as soon as possible (Read more at Semafor).
He has invoked Anwar Sadat, the Egyptian leader slain after striking a peace deal with Israel, asking what the U.S. did to protect Sadat. He also has discussed the threats he faces in explaining why any such deal must include a true path to a Palestinian state — especially now that the war in Gaza has heightened Arab fury toward Israel (Read more at Politico).
The administration of US President Joe Biden has in fact come full circle in its cycle of strategic confusion in the Middle East (Read more at Arab Weekly).
One source said sales could resume as early as next week. Ties between the kingdom and the United States have warmed since then, as Washington has worked more closely with Riyadh in the aftermath of Hamas’ October 7 attack to devise a plan for post-war Gaza (Read more at South China Morning Post).
It opens new possibilities for cooperation with NASA in areas such as space science, exploration, aeronautics, space operations, education, and Earth science. “The agreement represents a turning point in the Kingdom’s journey towards building a strong and prosperous space sector,” said Saudi Space Agency Chairman (Read more at NASA)
This bilateral agreement, once finalised, will be uncoupled from the regional “Grand Bargain”, which is supposed to include Saudi normalisation with Israel. Keeping normalisation outside the deal with the US, at least for now, would also allow Riyadh to avoid the domestic and regional blowback considering the tensions fuelled by the war in Gaza (Read more at Arab Weekly).
The potential sale of the F-35s to the Saudis was not guaranteed for a variety of reasons, but its inclusion in the discussions was significant because Riyadh has desired the stealthy fighter jet for years. The U.S.-Saudi security accord is also expected to involve sharing emerging technologies with Riyadh, including artificial intelligence (Read more at Reuters).
The deal included “a two-state solution that meets the aspirations and legitimate rights of the Palestinian people” and “the situation in Gaza and the need to stop the war there and facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid.” (Read more at Stripes).
"The visit is a continuation of long-standing engagement between the US and this region," the official said. "Specifically, for the Department of Energy, it will move forward work both countries are doing on climate cooperation and to diversify the energy economy." (Read more at Yahoo Finance)
The agreement is about the U.S. security guarantees and civilian nuclear assistance in return for halting Chinese arms purchases and restricting Beijing’s investment in the country, even as an Israel-Saudi normalization deal envisioned as part of a Middle East “grand bargain” remains elusive. The U.S.-Saudi security accord is also expected to involve sharing emerging technologies with Riyadh, including artificial intelligence. The terms are expected to be finalized within weeks (Read more at USNews).
The talks in Riyadh may also include UK Foreign Secretary, David Cameron, and key officials from the European Union, Jordan, Egypt and Qatar, as well as the Palestinian Authority (Read more at Middle East Monitor).
Furthermore, the Arab countries opened their airspace to fighter jets, shared radar surveillance information or, in some cases, provided their own forces to help. Jordan said it would allow U.S. and other countries' warplanes to use its airspace, even using its own aircraft to help intercept the Iranian threats (Read more at I24).
Tim Lenderking will meet regional officials to discuss ways to deescalate the crisis and “renew the focus on securing a durable peace for the Yemeni people. “The United States remains firmly committed to supporting a durable peace in Yemen and alleviating the complex humanitarian and economic crises harming the Yemeni people,” the State Department said (Read more at Arabnews).
U.S. officials hope to reach a bilateral agreement with the Saudis and then possibly present it to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose side of the deal would include committing to a path toward a two-state solution. Netanyahu would then face a choice: If he agrees, he could broke a historic peace deal with Saudi Arabia. If he says no, he could be exposed as a rejectionist and lose whatever U.S. support he still has left (Read more at Axios).
But he also made clear what he had said to me before, which is that in order to do that, two things will be required -- an end to the conflict in Gaza, and a clear, credible timebound path to the establishment of a Palestinian state (Link).
