TEHRAN – US President Donald Trump landed in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday in the shadow of unresolved regional predicament, and also posted a list of business proposals reportedly linked to both national and personal interests.
Riyadh is the first stop on a three-count tour of the presidents of the Persian Gulf Arab countries, including Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Upon arriving in the Saudi Arabian capital, Trump was accepted by the kingdom’s crown prince and de facto leader Mohammad bin Salman. After a welcoming ceremony featuring spice Arabian coffee at the Grand Hall at Riyadh Airport, the American delegation proceeded to Alyama Palace. So, bin Salman pledged to invest $600 billion in the United States and buy nearly $142 billion worth of American weapons packages.
Trump’s trip to West Asia reflects his first foreign tour during his first term. This includes occupied areas. Trump is likely to tout this as a victory for the US economy like last time, but returning to his hometown, some Democrat officials are almost infuriated. They argue that there appears to be a crossroads between Trump’s presidential duties and his own business interests.
The Qatar royal family reportedly donates a $400 million Boeing 747-8 to Trump’s Presidential Library. This amplified the outrage of Democrats touching Trump for muddy ties to traditional American allies such as Canada, Europe and Mexico, along with the Trump family’s large regional business ventures (high-rise buildings, golf courses, cryptocurrency trading).
Still, it is expected that Trump will secure more “mega” investment deals (as some American media have called them) in US energy and manufacturing during his trip to the Persian Gulf. He also aims to convince the rich Persian Gulf countries to buy more US liquefied natural gas (LNG) and increase crude oil production.
The geopolitical trend continues
The vision Trump presented to West Asia when he returned to the White House in January is completely different from the reality he faces today during his short stay in the region.
He was the “President of Peace,” and had promised to end the war in Gaza and “crush” the Yemeni army, which was carrying out anti-Israel operations in the Red Sea. But three months later, Israel has made it clear that it has not yet seen the public criticism from Washington, helping its brokers before Trump takes office, stepping up attacks and food and medicine lockdowns.
In the Red Sea, the US was forced to announce a bilateral ceasefire with Yemen’s Ansarrah, retreated and after considerable financial losses and the destruction of expensive drones and fighter jets. Yemen continues to attack Israeli targets and shows no signs of a decline in military capabilities.
The signing of the Iranian nuclear program deal was also included on Trump’s agenda when he was fresh in his office. He has launched indirect talks with Iran to find a diplomatic solution to the differences between the two countries, but it is still unclear whether he will succeed in unifying the fragmented regime in Iran. Some of his inner circle, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, believes Washington should skip diplomacy and attack Iran instead.
While in Saudi Arabia, Trump said he wanted to reach an agreement with Iran, but before he spoke about his supposed aspirations, he made it to be called the “largest and most destructive” force in West Asia. “In Iran, I have never believed in having a permanent enemy. I’m not the kind of person that many people think. I don’t like permanent enemies… I want to make a deal with Iran,” Trump told the Riyadh Convention Hall, filled with people. “But if Iranian leadership rejects this olive branch and continues to attack our neighbors, we have no choice but to put a massive maximum pressure on us and drive Iran’s oil exports to zero as before.”
The so-called maximum pressure campaign Trump unfolded against Iran in his first term, even during Biden’s White House occupation. Furthermore, analysts believe Iran’s oil exports have not reached zero. Not because the US didn’t want it, but because it couldn’t make it happen. After decades of sanctions, Tehran learned how to avoid them, saying that one of its biggest allies, China, will continue to buy Iranian oil regardless of US pressure.
Trump has already drawn the rage of millions of Iranians before he began his tour of West Asia. The Associated Press reported that Trump plans to announce the United States before the president arrives. The president said last week that he hadn’t decided yet. He hasn’t brought up the topic yet.
So far, Trump’s visit to West Asia appears to have primarily brought economic benefits. He may have predicted himself. “Trump’s main goal during his trip to the region is to raise money for the “world’s largest economy.” This is becoming penniless every day,” says Amir Ali Abolfas, an expert on North American affairs. All other issues remain intertwined, he added.