Trump Bags Middle East Deals, Just Not The Two He Wants And Needs

2025-05-15 07:01:22

(MENAFN- Asia Times) US President Donald Trump's visit to Arab states in the Middle East this week generated plenty of multibillion-dollar deals. He said more than US$1 trillion worth of deals had been signed with Saudi Arabia alone, though the real total is likely much lower.

Qatar also placed an order for 210 Boeing aircraft , a deal worth a reported $96 billion. Trump will no doubt present these transactions as a major success for US industry.

The trip also helped counter concerns about US disengagement from the Middle East. For more than a decade, local elites have viewed Washington's attention as shifting away from the region.

This trip was a reaffirmation of the importance of the Middle East – in particular the Gulf region – to US foreign policy. This is an important signal to send to Middle Eastern leaders who are dealing with competing interests from China and, to a lesser extent, Russia.

And from a political standpoint, Trump's lifting of sanctions on Syria and meeting with the former rebel, now president, Ahmed al-Sharaa was very significant – both symbolically and practically.

Until recently, al-Sharaa was listed by the United States as a terrorist with a $10 million bounty on his head. However, when his forces removed dictator Bashar al-Assad from power in December, he was cautiously welcomed by many in the international community.

Donald Trump, right, shakes hands with Syria's interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Photo: Saudi Royal Palace

The US had invested considerable resources in removing Assad from power, so his fall was cause for celebration, even if it came at the hands of forces the US had deemed terrorists.

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