US President Donald Trump met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on Tuesday, kicking off a four-day Gulf tour expected to centre on economic agreements rather than the region's many security crises, from the war in Gaza to tensions over Iran's nuclear programme.
Trump arrived at King Khalid International Airport earlier in the day, accompanied by a high-level US delegation. He was received by the crown prince and senior Saudi officials. The two leaders shared a brief coffee at the airport's VIP lounge before heading to Al-Yamamah Palace for extended talks between the American and Saudi delegations.
Trump is due to travel to Qatar on Wednesday and the United Arab Emirates on Thursday.
He is accompanied by a group of American business leaders, including Tesla CEO and adviser Elon Musk. Trump also said he may travel to Turkey on Thursday for potential face-to-face talks involving Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Alongside Musk, the visiting delegation includes BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, Citi CEO Jane Fraser, and US Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Marco Rubio, as well as Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Investment and economic ties
While geopolitical tensions remain high, the Gulf tour is not expected to focus on diplomacy. Instead, it is being framed around investment and economic ties, with Washington hoping to secure trillions in future sovereign wealth fund deals from Gulf partners.
According to sources that spoke to Reuters, Trump is expected to pitch a new $100 billion arms deal to Riyadh, which could include C-130 transport aircraft and other advanced weapons systems.
Saudi Arabia has already pledged $600 billion in investments in the US over the next four years, but Trump has said he will push for a full trillion dollars.
Tuesday also saw the opening of the US-Saudi Investment Forum in Riyadh, hosted at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Centre, with senior officials from both countries in attendance.
The visit is Trump's second foreign trip since returning to office, following his attendance at the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome.
Despite Trump's long-standing goal of expanding the Abraham Accords to include Saudi Arabia, US and Saudi officials are expected to sidestep any public discussion of normalisation with Israel during this visit.
Sources told Reuters that the issue was effectively off the table, largely due to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's refusal to agree to a permanent ceasefire in Gaza or commit to the establishment of a Palestinian state.