President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that the United States would raise longtime sanctions with regard to Syria and have obtained an American commitment of $ 600 billion in Saudi Arabia to invest in the United States for a trip to the Gulf.
The United States has agreed to sell Saudi Arabia a weapon package worth nearly $ 142 billion, according to the White House which called it “the largest defense cooperation agreement” that Washington has ever concluded.
The surprise announcement of the sanctions would be a huge boost for Syria, which was broken by more than a decade of civil war. The rebels led by current president Ahmed Al-Sharaa overthrew President Bashar al-Assad last December.
Speaking in Riyadh, Trump said that he was acting at a request to suppress the sanctions of the de facto sovereign of Saudi Arabia, Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.
“Oh, what I do for the Crown Prince,” said Trump, drawing laughter from the public. He said the sanctions had fulfilled an important function but it was now time for the country to move forward.
The United States declared the Syria Sponsor of State of Terrorism in 1979, added sanctions in 2004 and imposed other sanctions after the civil war in 2011.
Syrian Minister for Foreign Affairs Asaad Al-Shibani said on X that the planned decision had marked a “new start” on the path of the reconstruction of Syria. Trump agreed to briefly greet Sharaa in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, said a White House official.
Trump and the Saudi Crown Prince signed an agreement covering energy, defense, mining and other areas. Trump sought to strengthen relations with the Saudis to improve regional ties with Israel and act as a rampart against Iran.
The agreement covers agreements with more than a dozen American defense companies in areas such as air defense and anti -missile, the advancement of the Air Force and space, maritime security and communications, said the information sheet. The Saudi prince said the agreement included investment opportunities worth $ 600 billion, including transactions worth $ 300 billion signed during Trump’s visit.
“We will work in the coming months of the second phase to conclude transactions and raised the $ 1 Billion,” he said.
Saudi Arabia is one of the biggest customers for American weapons.
Reuters reported in April that the United States was ready to offer the kingdom a bunch of weapons worth more than $ 100 billion.
“I really think we love each other,” said Trump during a meeting with the Crown Prince, the de facto sovereign of Saudi Arabia.
The United States and Saudi Arabia had discussed Riyadh’s potential purchase of Lockheed F-35 jets, two informed sources of discussions told Reuters, referring to a military plane that would long be supposed to be interested.
It was not immediately clear if these planes were covered in the agreement announced on Tuesday.
Trump, who was accompanied by American business leaders, including billionaire Elon Musk, will continue from Riyad to Qatar on Wednesday and the United Arab Emirates on Thursday.
He did not plan to stop in Israel, a decision that raised questions about the place where the nearly ally is in Washington priorities, and the emphasis is on investment rather than on security issues in the Middle East.
Trump, however, wants Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept a new cease-fire agreement in the 19-month Gaza War.
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Israel’s military operations against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and its assassinations of the two Iranian group leaders, at the same time gave Trump more lever by weakening Tehran and its regional allies.
American and Iranian negotiators gathered in Oman during the weekend to discuss a potential agreement to slow down the Tehran nuclear program. Trump threatened military action against Iran in the event of diplomacy failure.
Speaking at a Saudi investment forum in Riyadh, Trump said on Tuesday that relations with Saudi Arabia will be even stronger.
Trump called the Saudi crown prince a friend and said he had a good relationship, according to a Wall Street Journal swimming pool report, adding that Saudi investment would help create jobs in the United States
The Crown Prince, who is otherwise known as MBS, focused on the diversification of the Saudi economy in a major reform program nicknamed Vision 2030 which includes “Giga projects” such as Neom, a futuristic city of the size of Belgium. Oil generated 62% of Saudi government’s revenues last year.
The kingdom has reduced some of its ambitions while the cost increase and the drop in oil prices weigh.
Saudi Arabia and the United States have maintained solid links for decades on the basis of an arrangement with any slam in which the Kingdom provides oil and superpower ensures safety in exchange.
Trump said it was his “fervent hope” that Saudi Arabia would soon sign its own normalization agreement with Israel, adding: “But you will do it in your own time.”
However, Netanyahu’s opposition has a permanent war judgment in Gaza or the creation of a Palestinian state made progress in similar talks with the Saudis, sources have told Reuters.
