By Zeke Miller, Jon Gambrell and Aamer Madhani, Associated Press
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (AP) – President Donald Trump told Gulf leaders on Wednesday that he urgently wanted to “conclude an agreement” with Iran to complete his nuclear program, but Tehran must end his support for proxy groups throughout the region in the context of any potential agreement.
Iran “must stop sponsoring terrorism, stop its bloody wars and permanently and verify to pursue nuclear weapons,” said Trump in remarks at a meeting of Cooperation Councils of the Gulf organized by Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in the Saudi capital. “They cannot have a nuclear weapon.”
The United States and Iran have embarked on four cycles of talks since the beginning of last month on the Iranian nuclear program. Trump repeatedly said that he thought that the negotiation of an agreement was possible, but that the window closed.
The strongly written push of the Republican President on Iran to cease the support of Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Houthi in Yemen, while its proxy network faced important setbacks in the 19 months which followed the launch of its October 7, 2023, a terrorist attack on Israel.
Hamas has been appointed as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada and the European Union.
In Iran, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abbas Araghchi, described Trump’s remarks as a “deceitful” but did not directly address the American chief’s appeal on Iran to cease the support of proxy groups.
Later, Trump, in an exchange with journalists on the Air Force One, urged Iran “to make the right decision” concerning its nuclear program “because something will happen in one way or another”.
“So we are going to do it friendly or we will do it very hostile,” warned Trump. “And it will not be pleasant.”
Trump said he thought it was ripe “for a future without the grip of Hezbollah terrorists.” Hezbollah was seriously weakened after its war last year with Israel in which a large part of its main leaders was killed, and after losing a key ally with the fall of former Syrian president Bashar Assad, a conduit for Iran to send weapons.
Seize sanctions against Syria
Trump’s comments on Iran came after meeting Syrian president Ahmad Al-Sharaa, a face to face with the rebellious time who spent years imprisoned by American forces on Wednesday after being captured in Iraq.
Trump agreed to meet Al-Sharaa at the end of his stay in Saudi Arabia. He was heading next to Qatar, where he will be honored with a state visit. His tour of the Middle East will also take him to the United Arab Emirates.
Al-Sharaa was appointed President of Syria in January, a month after a superb offensive of insurgents groups led by Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham d’Al-Sharaa, or HTS, stormed Damascus and ended the 54-year rule of the Assad family.
Trump said he had decided to meet Al-Sharaa after being encouraged to do so by Prince Mohammed and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He also undertook to raise sanctions for one year with regard to Syria.
“The sanctions were really paralyzing and very powerful,” said Trump. “It will not be easy anyway, so it gives them a good strong chance” to rebuild the country, he added.
Prince Mohammed joined Trump and Al-Sharaa for Reunion, which lasted 33 minutes. Erdogan also participated in conferences via video.
The prince said that Trump’s decision to engage with Al-Sharaa and raise sanctions “would attenuate the suffering of the Syrian people” and stimulate a “new chapter” for the nation.
Formerly known to the name of war Abu Mohammed al-Golani, Al-Sharaa joined the ranks of the insurgents of Al-Qaida fighting against the American forces in Iraq after the invasion led by the United States. He always faces an arrest warrant against terrorism in Iraq. The United States has already offered $ 10 million for information about its fate due to its links with Al-Qaida.
Al-Sharaa returned to its country of origin, Syria after the start of the conflict in 2011 and led the Al-Qaida branch called the Nusra Front. He changed the name of his group in Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham and cut links with Al-Qaida.
The sanctions return to the rule of Assad, which was ousted in December, and aimed to inflict significant pain on its economy.
Biden and Trump administrations left the sanctions in place after the fall of Assad while they were trying to take the measure of Al-Sharaa.
State visit to Qatar
After meeting members of the CCG – which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – Trump headed for Qatar, the second stop of his Middle East tour.
Qatar, like the other Arab States of the Gulf, is an autocratic nation where political parties are prohibited and speech is closely controlled. He is supervised by his ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani. Sheikh Tamim took power in June 2013 when his father resigned.
Qatar has also played a central role in Pay-to-Play style scandals worldwide.
In Israel, the authorities investigate allegations that Qatar has hired close advisers to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to launch public relations campaigns to improve the image of the Gulf Nation among Israelis.
Two legislators of the European Union have been accused of having taken money from Doha in a scandal nicknamed “Qatar-Gate”. US prosecutors in 2020 accused Qatar of welding members of the FIFA Executive Committee to ensure the tournament in the country in 2022.
In 2024, RTX Corp., the defense entrepreneur, formerly known under the name of Raytheon, agreed to pay more than $ 950 million to resolve the allegations that she has fraud the US government and paid bribes to secure business with Qatar. Doha has always denied reprehensible acts.
Qatar follows an ultra -conservative form of Sunni Islam known as Wahhabism born from Saudi Arabia. However, Qatar struck a different approach in the Arab spring by supporting the Islamists, notably the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt and the former Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi, as well as those who clashed against Assad.
His support for Islamists, in part, led to a boycott of the country of the country by Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. This boycott only ended when the president of the time, Joe Biden, prepared to enter the White House in 2021.
Qatar was also a key mediator, in particular with the Hamas militant group while the international community is pursuing a cease-fire for the War of Israel-Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Qatar was also a host of the negotiations between the United States and the Taliban who led to the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
Qatar is home to the Al-Udeid air base, a sprawling installation which welcomes the head office before the central command of the American army.
The country rich in oil and gas is also at the center of a controversy on its offer to provide Trump with the donation of a luxury Boeing 747-8 that the United States could use as Air Force One while new versions of the plane are under construction by Boeing.
The Qatari government said that a final decision had not been made. But Trump defended the idea even if the criticisms argue that this would be equivalent to a president accepting a surprisingly precious gift from a foreign government.
Trump said he would renovate the plane and later be given to his post-White House presidential library. He says he would not use the plane once he would leave his duties.
The screenwriters of the AP Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Türkiye, Tia Goldenberg in Tel Aviv and Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, contributed.
Originally published:
California Daily Newspapers
