TRANSCRIPT
At a time when the Middle East has been rocked by conflict and the risk of further escalation remains everpresent, the region welcomes another unpredictable factor: United States President Donald Trump.
President Trump has begun his first major trip abroad since returning to the White House, embarking on a four-day visit to the Persian Gulf.
The first stop on his tour is Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh, where he's secured a $926 billion commitment from the Saudis to invest in the US.
This includes a $219 billion arms deal.
"We're adding over $1 trillion more in terms of investment and investment into our country and buying our products. And, you know, nobody makes military equipment like us so that the best military equipment, the best missiles, the best rockets, the best everything. Best submarines, by the way."
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman says he is excited to grow the US Saudi relationship.
"Today, we are working on partnership opportunities worth $600 billion, including more than 300-billion-dollar agreements announced during this forum. In the coming months, we will work on the second phase to complete the rest of the agreements to raise them to one trillion dollars. This growing partnership is an extension of multiple cooperation in the military, security, economic and technical fields."
In another major announcement, President Trump says he will move to normalise relations and lift sanctions on Syria's new government to give the country what he called "a chance at peace".
The US President appears to suggest the significant foreign policy shift came at the request of the Saudi Crown Prince.
"I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness. Oh what I do for the Crown Prince. The sanctions were brutal and crippling and served as an important function at the time. But now it's their time to shine. It's their time to shine. We're taking them all off. So I say, good luck, Syria, show us something very special."
Mr Trump's announcement came shortly before he was set to meet with new Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, the onetime insurgent who led a rebel offensive that overthrew longtime leader Bashar al-Assad last year.
The developments are a major boost for the Syrian leader who at one point was imprisoned in Iraq for his role in the insurgency following the 2003 U-S-led invasion.
Rosemary Kelanic is Director of the Middle East program at U-S think tank, Defense Priorities.
She says lifting the sanctions could help Syria achieve stability after decades of conflict and dictatorship.
"There's a humanitarian reason to want the sanctions to be lifted, which is that the people of Syria have suffered under the sanctions. They've suffered from natural disasters in the past few years. There was an earthquake not very long ago, and levels of poverty are extremely high. So, if you want Syria to be able to make it as a country and not fall apart into a renewed civil war, it makes sense that you would want sanctions to be lifted and to have a chance to work with Syria's leaders to try to bring that about."
And in Syrian capital Damascus, local residents are celebrating the move.
VOXPOP 1: "It is a very positive step if this really happens, and we hope for the best because the people are truly tired, and the conditions have been difficult in the past period. We hope for the best."
VOXPOP 2: "We have been waiting for it for many years. It feels like a mountain has been lifted off our chest because now people may live more freely. I expect living conditions to improve in the future. It won't be immediate, but it will take some time. I believe this time has become a bit shorter. Congratulations to all of us."
Donald Trump also used his visit to Saudi Arabia to urge Iran to make a new nuclear deal with the US.
He says he wants to avoid conflict with their geopolitical rival but warned that time is running out as Iran makes rapid progress with its nuclear program.
"Even if our differences may be very profound, which obviously they are in the case of Iran, I have never believed in having permanent enemies. I want to make a deal with Iran. If I can make a deal with Iran, I'll be very happy if we're going to make your region and the world's a safer place. But if Iran's leadership rejects this olive branch and continues to attack their neighbors, then we will have no choice but to inflict massive maximum pressure, drive Iranian oil exports to zero, like I did before."
And while President Trump is set to visit the United Arab Emirates and Qatar to discuss oil and trade, investment deals, and regional conflicts, a notable absence from his schedule is longtime ally Israel.
Unlike a near-identical visit to the Middle East in his first presidential term in 2017, Mr Trump appears to have avoided meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this time around despite Israel standing on the brink of a sharp escalation of their war in Gaza.
The Israeli government have proposed a plan to seize the entirety of Gaza and expel the Palestinian population, promising it will not begin until Mr Trump's visit to the region is over.
While the US President's relationship with the Israeli leader appears to be up in the air, he made a point to encourage Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords and normalise its relationship with Israel.
"It's my fervent hope, wish, and even my dream that Saudi Arabia will soon be joining the Abraham Accords. I think it'll be a tremendous tribute to your country. It will be a special day in the Middle East with the whole world watching when Saudi Arabia joins us but you'll do it in your own time. And that's what I want, and that's what you want, that's the way it's going to be."
However, there are some limits to Mr Trump's close bond with Saudi leader Mohammed bin Salman.
The Crown Prince has made it clear his country will not sign onto the Accords until there is a permanent end to the war in Gaza and a clear path to Palestinian statehood.
