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U.S. President announces major policy shift on Syria, signs historic defense deal with Saudi Arabia to boost economic and regional ties.
On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump began his visit to the Gulf with major announcements. While in Saudi Arabia, he revealed that the U.S. will lift long-standing sanctions on Syria. At the same time, he announced a $600 billion investment pledge from Saudi Arabia to the United States.
Speaking at an investment forum in Riyadh, Trump said Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had asked him to remove the sanctions. “Oh, what I do for the crown prince,” Trump joked, making the audience laugh. He said the sanctions were useful in the past, but now it’s time for Syria to move forward.
This decision marks a big change in U.S. foreign policy. Syria was listed as a state sponsor of terrorism in 1979. Sanctions were added in 2004 and more were imposed during the civil war that started in 2011. But Syria has changed recently — last December, rebel forces led by current President Ahmed al-Sharaa overthrew longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad.
Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani welcomed the move and said on X (formerly Twitter) that this marks a “new start” for rebuilding the country. Trump is expected to briefly meet President Sharaa on Wednesday during his stay in Saudi Arabia.
Trump and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also signed a major agreement involving energy, defense, mining, and other sectors. As part of it, the U.S. will sell Saudi Arabia an arms package worth almost $142 billion. The White House described it as the largest defense deal in U.S. history. The full deal may eventually be worth $1 trillion as more agreements are added in the future. It’s not clear yet if the deal includes F-35 fighter jets.
Saudi Arabia has long been a top buyer of American weapons. The relationship between the two countries is built on a long-standing agreement: Saudi Arabia supplies oil, and the U.S. provides military support. However, relations became strained in 2018 after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents. U.S. intelligence believes the crown prince approved the operation, though the Saudi government denies this.
Trump made no mention of the Khashoggi case during his visit and instead praised Crown Prince Mohammed, calling him an “incredible man.” Trump added, “I really believe we like each other a lot.”
Trump’s trip will continue to Qatar on Wednesday and the United Arab Emirates on Thursday. The focus is mostly on business and investment, not military matters.
Top U.S. business leaders joined Trump at the Riyadh event, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, and Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman. Trump also met with top Saudi officials and looked at models of the kingdom’s giant development projects.
Saudi Arabia is trying to reduce its dependence on oil through its Vision 2030 plan. This includes huge projects like NEOM, a futuristic city the size of Belgium. However, falling oil prices and rising costs have slowed down some of these ambitions. Oil still made up 62% of Saudi Arabia’s government income last year.
Notably, Trump has not scheduled a visit to Israel during this trip. This raises questions about U.S.-Israel relations, especially as Trump is pressuring Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept a new ceasefire in Gaza. At the same time, Israel’s attacks on Hamas and Hezbollah — both backed by Iran — have weakened Iran’s allies, giving Trump more influence.
Trump said he hopes Saudi Arabia will soon make peace with Israel, like other Arab countries did during his first term. “But you’ll do it in your own time,” he said. However, sources say progress is unlikely unless Israel agrees to a Palestinian state, something Netanyahu opposes.
Trump also warned Iran, calling it “the most destructive force” in the region. He said the U.S. will never allow Iran to get a nuclear weapon. “I want to make a deal with Iran,” he said, “but if they refuse, we’ll have no choice but to apply maximum pressure.”