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Trump in the Middle East

News, analysis and comment on the US president's trip to the Gulf, May 13-16 2025

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President Trump struck numerous deals over his three days in the Gulf

The multi-trillion dollar deals agreed on Trump’s trip

During his trip to the Gulf region from May 13 to 16, US president Donald Trump visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE and announced a series of deals across a number of sectors, which, according to the White House, added up to nearly $2.5 trillion. Artificial intelligence Saudi Arabia’s newly-established AI developer Humain said […]

Donald Trump in the Gulf, with Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Al Thani said the countries were 'going to another level of relationship'

Qatar takes centre stage on Trump’s Middle East mission

Major deal announcements kept rolling in on Wednesday as Donald Trump travelled from Riyadh to Doha on the second day of his visit to the Gulf. Qatar Airways agreed to purchase up to 210 Boeing 787 Dreamliner and 777X jets for $96 billion in what the White House described as Boeing’s “largest ever wide-body order”. […]

Donald Trump and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman made a raft of deals after the president arrived in Riyadh

Arms, investment and AI top list of deals on busy day for Trump

Tens of billions of dollars in new partnerships between the US and Saudi Arabia were announced on Tuesday in Riyadh during the first day of President Donald Trump’s visit to the Gulf. Artificial intelligence, aviation, energy and defence dominated the flurry of deals, with the White House again touting that the kingdom will invest $600 […]

President Donald Trump met with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss US relationships with the country

US and UAE agree tech plan as Trump lands in Abu Dhabi

US and Emirati officials agreed a framework to enhance exchanges in advanced technology as Donald Trump arrived in Abu Dhabi on Thursday evening on the third and final leg of his tour of the Gulf. The deal includes commitments from both sides to ensure the shared technology is handled securely, Reuters reported, citing an unnamed […]

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Businessman stands in front of a live view of the Nikkei index

Trump’s China tariffs give relief to Saudi petrochems

Saudi Arabia’s beleaguered petrochemicals industry, especially those that rely on propane gas to make their products, has received some welcome relief from an unexpected source: President Donald Trump and his trade tariffs on China. Trump’s first notable tariff moves against China – the world’s largest importer of propane – came in February. Beijing, which had […]

President Donald Trump and Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. The US said "economic exchanges" with Qatar will be worth $1.2trn

Qatar to double US investments

Qatar’s $526 billion sovereign wealth fund intends to more than double the value of its investments in the US, CEO Mohammed Al-Sowaidi said this week. At a conference in the Qatari capital, Doha, Al Sowaidi said the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) will be “probably buying more than double what we’ve been doing for the past […]

Mubadala has made a paper loss on its stake as GlobalFoundries’ stock price has fallen by about half from its March 2022 peak

Mubadala’s US portfolio hit by GlobalFoundries slump

Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Investment Co suffered a paper loss of $2.7 billion on its majority stake in US semiconductor maker GlobalFoundries in the first quarter, US regulatory filings show. GlobalFoundries’ stock price has fallen by about half from its March 2022 peak, extending its decline this year.  This lowered the value of […]

US and UAE energy: President Donald Trump and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan attend a business forum at Qasr Al Watan during the final stop of his Gulf visit, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Adnoc says UAE and US to invest $440bn in energy

The UAE and US will spend a combined total of $440 billion in the energy sector by 2035, the head of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) has said. The US is expected to invest $60 billion in UAE energy projects, a panel at the UAE-US economic dialogue said during US President Donald Trump’s visit […]

Donald Trump was greeted by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at Qasr Al Watan

UAE and US to build largest AI campus outside America

The US and UAE will develop a 10 square mile artificial intelligence campus in Abu Dhabi, according to a White House statement on Thursday. It will be the largest such facility outside of America. The announcement came as US President Donald Trump met UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the Qasr Al […]

President Donald Trump during a visit to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. He says the country will invest $10 billion in the base

Trump says Qatar will invest $10 billion in US airbase

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Qatar will invest $10 billion in coming years in the Al Udeid Air Base southwest of the country’s capital Doha, the largest US military facility in the Middle East. In a speech to US troops at the base during his tour of the Gulf, Trump also said Qatari defence […]

Qatar's Energy Minister and CEO of QatarEnergy, Saad Sherida al-Kaabi, speaks during the Doha Forum 2024 at Sheraton Grand Doha Resort & Convention Hotel ahead of the 22nd edition of the Doha Forum in Doha, Qatar, on December 7, 2024. (Photo by Noushad Thekkayil/NurPhoto)NO USE FRANCE

Qatari minister says oil price could put companies out of business

Many oil producing companies could be forced out of the market if crude prices remain below $70 a barrel for a long time, according to Qatar’s energy minister. Saad Al-Kaabi told CNBC, the US cable TV news network, that oil prices of $70 to $85 per barrel are reasonable for producing countries to get enough […]

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang

US ‘to let UAE import millions of Nvidia’s AI chips’

The US has a preliminary agreement with the United Arab Emirates to allow it to import 500,000 of Nvidia’s most advanced AI chips per year starting in 2025, sources said. The move will boost the Emirates’ construction of data centres that are vital to developing artificial intelligence models. The sources said the agreement was at least […]

Tareq Amin, CEO of Humain, and Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, on stage at the Saudi-US Investment Forum. PIF-backed Humain is buying 18,000 AI chips from the US company

Saudi Arabia risks AI glut as Trump approves Nvidia sale

Saudi Arabia’s plan to build one of the world’s largest artificial intelligence infrastructures may lead to oversupply in the short term, creating spare capacity for export to other emerging markets, AI experts have said. Although domestic demand is growing, Riyadh’s rollout of compute – computing power for AI – is outpacing current uses. Capacity is […]

US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. Economic promises seem to outweigh Oman's diplomatic efforts on President Trump's current trip

Why Oman is off Trump’s travel plans

Oman may have negotiated a ceasefire between the US and Yemen’s Houthis, and is the go-between the US and Iran in negotiations around nuclear weapons capability. But it is not among the countries President Donald Trump is visiting in the Arabian Gulf this week. “These Gulf countries Trump is currently visiting are offering trillions of […]

Air Force One is seen on a screen as it lands in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The new plane gifted by Qatar is worth $400m

Trump dismisses concerns over Qatari plane gift

US president Donald Trump has dismissed ethical concerns about his decision to accept a Boeing 747-8 jet as a gift from the Qatari royal family. Trump said it would be “stupid” to turn down the generous offer. The $400 million luxury plane, which would be outfitted to serve as Air Force One, would be one of […]

President Donald Trump and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, on the first day of the president's Gulf visit

Saudi Arabia announces AI unit as Trump lands in Riyadh

Saudi Arabia has announced a state-backed artificial intelligence company as President Donald Trump lands in Riyadh. Technology is expected to be high on the agenda during Trump’s tour, which also takes in Qatar and the UAE, as Gulf economies seek improved access to US chips to meet their AI ambitions. The Saudi AI company, called […]