US President Donald Trump is heading for Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on Monday, looking at major cases, even if the agreements on the hotels of the Middle East will be more difficult to seal.
While the War of Israel against terrorist groups of Gaza and the Iranian nuclear program will be looming to the first big foreign trip of Trump in its second term, the White House said that it was impatiently awaiting a “historic return” in the region.
Eight years ago, Trump also chose Riyad for his first trip abroad as president – when he memorably posed on a brilliant orb with the leaders of Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
Its decision to bypass the traditional Western allies once again to visit the Gulf States rich in oil highlights their increasingly essential geopolitical role – as well as its own commercial links.
“It is difficult for me to escape the idea that President Trump goes to the Gulf because it is his happy place,” said Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
“His hosts will be generous and hospital. They will be eager to conclude agreements. They will flatter him and not criticize him, and they will treat family members as past and future business partners.”
US President Donald Trump (center-left), King Salman of Saudi Arabia (Center-Dutch) and other leaders pose for a group photo at the American Islamic Arab Summit at King Abdulaziz Conference Center in Riyadh on May 21, 2017. (AFP / Mandel Ngan)
‘Historical return’
Riyadh, Doha and Abu Dhabi should withdraw all stops for Trump, who made his first big trip abroad after having briefly attended the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome. His visit should start on May 13 in Riyadh.
The rich Arab states will mix the pump and the ceremony for the 78 -year -old billionaire with agreements that could extend to defense, aviation, energy and artificial intelligence.
“The president is looking forward to embarking on his historic return to the Middle East” to promote a vision where “extremism is defeated (through) trade and cultural exchanges”, said spokesperson Karoline Leavitt on Friday.
But it will not be able to avoid the long list of regional crises, including the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the Houthi rebels in Yemen and the troubles of Syria after the Assad.
US President Donald Trump, second on the left, shakes his hand with the Qatar emir, Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, on the left, during a bilateral meeting on May 21, 2017, in Riyadh. Sitting with them are: then the American secretary of state Rex Tillerson, third on the right, the main advisor of the White House Jared Kushner, second on the right, then the American adviser for national security HR Mcmaster. (AP photo / Evan VUCCI)
Gulf states have played a key diplomatic role under Trump 2.0. Qatar was a major broker between Hamas and Israel, while Saudi Arabia facilitated talks on the war in Ukraine.
“Trump arrives first in the Gulf because this region has become a geopolitical and financial center of gravity,” said Anna Jacobs, member of the non-resident of Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, in AFP.
In Riyadh, Trump will meet the leaders of the six Gulf Cooperation Council: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman.
But a place that is not on the route is Israel, the ally closest to the United States in the region.
This has aroused speculation about tensions between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
US President Donald Trump, on the left, welcomed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on April 7, 2025 in Washington. (AP / Evan Vucci)
Israel has established Trump’s trip as the deadline for a cease-fire agreement with Hamas before launching a major offensive provided in Gaza.
Trump, however, has adopted an increasingly practical approach, although the United States said it works with Israel on a plan led by the United States to obtain aid in the blocked enclave, which has not received aid for more than two months, because a cease-fire agreement has collapsed. Israel and the United States say that Hamas diverts help and uses it to maintain control of the band.
The war in Gaza began when terrorists led by Hamas have invaded southern Israel, killing 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and bringing 251 hostages back to Gaza, 58 of which remain captive in the enclave. The body of an additional TSAhal soldier who was kidnapped a decade ago is also owned by Hamas.
Due to the current war, the efforts to bring Saudi Arabia to recognize that Israel, that Trump also searched during his first mandate, is likely to stay on the burner, because Riyadh says it must see the progress towards a Palestinian state, which was a non-start for Jerusalem.
Trump told Time magazine last month that Saudi Arabia will join the Abraham agreements – the standard of standardization agreements that its previous administration has negotiated between Israel and several Arab states. “It will happen,” he said.
Reuters, however, reported that the United States no longer requests Saudi Arabia normalizing links with Israel as a condition of progress in civilian nuclear cooperation talks.
Earlier this month, the United States has given initial approval to sell a value of $ 3.5 billion in air-to-air missiles for fighter planes in Saudi Arabia, the last weapon agreement proposed for the region before Trump’s trip.
The sale will probably be one of the many announced by Trump during his visit to the Kingdom, said this. Saudi Arabia has already said it wanted to invest $ 600 billion in the United States over the next four years.
People pass in front of an electronic display panel that shows American President Donald Trump, on the left, shaking the hand of the Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman with the pro-normization message “ We Are Ready ”, in Tel Aviv, on February 3, 2025. (Photo / Ariel Schalit)
‘Monetize Maga’
Iran will also be raised on the agenda. Washington and Tehran will hold the last series of indirect discussions on the Iranian nuclear program in Oman on Sunday.
Iran reacted furiously after Trump said that he was deciding on the announcement during the trip he would change the way in which the United States refers to the Gulf, from the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Arabia.
One thing that, according to the White House, will not be on the agenda is Trump’s own businesses.
Last month, the Trump organization concluded its first luxury real estate agreement in Qatar and published the details of a billion dollars skyscraper in Dubai whose apartments can be bought in cryptocurrency.
(R to l) The executive vice-president of the Trump organization, Eric Trump, the co-founder of World Liberty Financial Zach Witkoff and the exchange of Cryptomoney Tron Justin Sun, participate in a session during the Crypto Token 2049 conference in Dubai on May 1, 2025. (Giuseppe Cacace / AFP)
Trump’s son Eric promoted a cryptographic company in Dubai while Don Jr prepared to speak of “Maga monetization” in Doha.
But the White House denied that Trump was cashed.
“It is frankly ridiculous that anyone … even suggests that President Trump does anything for his own advantage,” said Leavitt.
Times of Israel Staff contributed to this report.
