From billion-dollar deals to backing Syria's Sharaa: Key takeaways from Trump’s Gulf tour

US President Donald Trump concluded a four-day visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates on Friday, marked by extravagant displays of hospitality, multi-billion dollar agreements, and brief policy discussions on key regional conflicts.

The US president was welcomed with royal pageantry in all three Gulf states — escorted by fighter jets, greeted by Arabian horsemen bearing flags, and entertained with opulent state dinners.

In Riyadh, he toured gilded palaces, in Doha, he praised the marble interiors like a seasoned luxury hotelier and in Abu Dhabi, he called the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque “incredible,” admiring its white domes and minarets.

Popular disco anthem “YMCA,” a fixture at Trump rallies and widely recognised as an LGBTQ+ anthem, played multiple times during the visit, underlining the theatrical flair of the trip.

While spectacle dominated, Trump also touched on serious matters. He held closed-door discussions on Syria, the war in Ukraine, tensions in Gaza, and Iran’s regional influence.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the trip:

Trump lands massive trade wins

Trump’s Gulf tour focused on landing major trade and investment deals, promoted as big wins for American jobs and businesses.

In Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reaffirmed a sweeping $600 billion commitment to US-Saudi partnerships. The investments will span artificial intelligence data centers, infrastructure, healthcare, science, and defence cooperation.

In Qatar, Trump unveiled a staggering $1.2 trillion economic exchange. The standout announcement: Qatar Airways plans to purchase up to 210 Boeing aircraft for $96 billion.

According to the White House, the deal will support 154,000 American jobs annually during production, totaling over 1 million jobs across the deal’s lifespan. It also marks the largest-ever order of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner jets.

In the UAE, leaders focused on cementing their position in artificial intelligence. The two countries signed a framework agreement for the annual import of hundreds of thousands of Nvidia’s most advanced AI chips. The UAE also pledged to pour billions into the US energy and manufacturing sectors.

Trump lifts Syria sanctions, meets Sharaa

Trump took a dramatic step on Syria policy this week, lifting long-standing US sanctions at the behest of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He then met Syria’s new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa — a former al Qaeda militant who once had a $10 million bounty on his head.

Trump and Sharaa met in Riyadh, marking a turning point in Washington’s approach to the war-torn country.

Trump said he was impressed with al-Sharaa and called him a “young, attractive guy” with a “very strong past.”

Sharaa, who joined al Qaeda in Iraq following the 2003 US-led invasion, was imprisoned by American forces for years before returning to Syria and playing a leading role in the insurgency that ousted Bashar al-Assad in late 2024.

Assad fled to Russia with his family and, according to reports, a large portion of his wealth.

Talk of Ukraine, Iran, Gaza

During his tour, President Trump addressed several key foreign policy flashpoints, offering updates on Iran’s nuclear programme, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and stalled peace efforts between Russia and Ukraine.

In Qatar, Trump said the US was “very close” to finalising a nuclear agreement with Iran, noting that Tehran had “sort of” accepted the proposed terms. A senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appeared to confirm progress in an interview with NBC News.

The US is seeking a halt to Iran’s uranium enrichment, while Iran maintains its nuclear programme is for civilian use only.

Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, described recent talks in Muscat, Oman, as “encouraging.”

On Gaza, Trump acknowledged mounting reports from residents, the UN, and human rights groups that “a lot of people are starving” amid a worsening humanitarian crisis.

A two-month ceasefire between Israel and Hamas collapsed in March, and Israel’s full blockade has since triggered severe food shortages.

While in Qatar, Trump reiterated his vision for Gaza, proposing to turn the besieged strip into a “freedom zone”— an updated version of his earlier idea to remake it into a “Riviera of the Middle East.”

The trip also saw movement on the Ukraine-Russia front.

Trump was expected to join talks in Turkey between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, with Putin absent, Zelenskyy and Trump both pulled out.

Lower-level delegations from Kyiv and Moscow still met in Istanbul on Friday for what became their first direct talks in more than three years. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also attended.

Trump applauds Gulf opulence, skips human rights talk

President Trump’s tour was marked by admiration for Gulf state wealth and a notable silence on human rights, diverging from the tone of past US presidential visits to the region.

While previous leaders often included public appeals for reforms, Trump struck a different note, praising the lavish palaces and modern skylines of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar.

Touring marble-filled royal residences, he described them as “perfecto” and “very hard to buy,” and compared them favorably to the “much less impressive” Air Force One.

Speaking at a high-level business forum in Riyadh, Trump distanced himself from what he called the “lecture circuit” approach of prior administrations.

“They used to come in beautiful planes, telling you how to live and govern. That’s not me,” he told an audience of Gulf royals and executives.

Rights groups interpreted the remarks as a signal of hands-off diplomacy. “It’s absolute support for absolute monarchy,” said Saudi exile Abdullah Alaoudh, whose father — a popular cleric — remains imprisoned in the kingdom.

Some advocacy organisations said Trump officials offered quiet reassurances that the administration was advocating for detained Americans and rights defenders behind closed doors. But State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott declined to confirm whether Trump raised those issues during his meetings with Gulf leaders.

Ethics concerns shadow Trump’s tour

As President Trump wrapped up his tour of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE, questions mounted over potential conflicts of interest stemming from his family’s growing business ties in the region.

Trump sought to dismiss the concerns, defending his decision to use a $400 million luxury jet gifted by Qatar as the new Air Force One.

“Why should our military, and therefore our taxpayers, be forced to pay hundreds of millions of Dollars when they can get it for FREE,” Trump wrote on his social media platform during the trip.

The president also brushed off questions about a $2 billion investment by a state-backed Abu Dhabi fund into the world’s largest crypto exchange using a stablecoin tied to Trump family associates. “I don’t know anything about it,” he was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, the Trump Organisation has signed deals across West Asia to license its brand for luxury real estate and golf resorts. Asked if these business ties could influence the president’s foreign policy, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said it was “frankly ridiculous” to suggest so.

With inputs from agencies