Trump Makes Surprise Arrival in Saudi Arabia

RIYADH, WEDNESDAY - Just a day after visiting Saudi Arabia, United States President Donald Trump has already made many surprises. The U.S. will lift sanctions against Syria and will accept a Saudi investment commitment worth 600 billion U.S. dollars in the United States.

In the defense and security sector, the United States has agreed to sell a weapons package worth 142 billion US dollars to Saudi Arabia. For the United States, this is the largest defense cooperation agreement ever made by Washington.

The decision to lift US sanctions on Syria, Trump said, came after discussions with Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who both urged that sanctions be lifted.

“Oh, what I am doing is for the crown prince (Prince Mohammed bin Salman),” said Trump, eliciting laughter from the audience at the Saudi-US Investment Forum, Tuesday (13/5/2025) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Trump is scheduled to meet with Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa. He will also meet with leaders and representatives from six member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, namely Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and Oman, on Wednesday (14/5/2025) in Riyadh. After that, he will continue his journey to Qatar.

The end of the US sanctions will be a significant boost for Syria. According to Trump, the sanctions have been effective, but now it is time for Syria to move forward.

The lifting of sanctions by the US is made possible because the sanctions law passed by the US Congress includes provisions that allow the president to suspend them. This is applicable if the president deems it in the interest of US national security. The law includes a package of stringent sanctions against Syria from 2019. Prior to the US, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Canada had already eased sanctions on Syria.

Trump's move represents a significant shift in US foreign policy. Since 1979, the US has viewed Syria as a state supporting terrorism. The US imposed sanctions on Syria in 2004 and continued them after the civil war in Syria broke out in 2011.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani stated on his X account that the U.S. move marks a new beginning in the reconstruction path of Syria. Lifting U.S. sanctions that sever Syria's ties with the global financial system will pave the way for greater involvement by humanitarian organizations operating in Syria. This will facilitate foreign investment and trade in Syria.

Trump's surprising move was made despite Israel's continued suspicion towards the Sharaa administration. Israel views Sharaa as a jihadist, even though he severed ties with Al-Qaeda in 2016.

Sharaa was previously known for leading the Nusra Front or Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is the official wing of Al-Qaeda in Syria. HTS was officially dissolved last January. HTS has been on the United Nations Security Council sanctions list for over 10 years. As a result of these sanctions, Syria has become a target for global asset freezes and arms embargoes.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun praised Trump's bold move. Senior researcher at the Center for a New American Security, Alex Zerden, assessed that the lifting of sanctions would untangle the knots of sanctions, export controls, and the terrorist designation that has made Syria one of the countries with the strictest economic restrictions. In addition to Syria, there are Iran, North Korea, and Cuba.

The United Nations, which also encourages countries to lift sanctions against Syria, welcomed the decision of the United States. The easing of sanctions against Syria will be able to assist in reconstruction and help the people recover from over 10 years of conflict. "During that time, investment has been minimal," said the spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, Stephane Dujarric.

Regarding Syria and Iran, Trump has moved in a direction that has put him at odds with Israel, which he has long supported. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly ordered attacks on Syria, demanding the demilitarization of southern Syria, and advocating for action against Iran's nuclear program.

The Trump administration has held four rounds of negotiations with Iran to reach a nuclear agreement in order to avoid war. During his first term (2017-2021), Trump withdrew from the nuclear agreement with Iran (JCPOA).

He also sharply criticized the leaders of Iran. He stated that they have stolen the wealth of the people to fund terror and bloodshed abroad, dragging the entire region along with them.

"But I am here today, not only to condemn the chaos of past Iranian leaders, but to offer them a new path, a much better path towards a far better and more hopeful future," said Trump.

However, Trump added, if negotiations with Iran fail, he has no choice but to apply maximum pressure, including imposing sanctions to limit all Iranian oil exports. "In the case of Iran, I have never believed in eternal enemies," said Trump.

In addition to the issues of Syria and Iran, Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia focused on economic cooperation. Saudi Arabia and the United States spent the entire day sealing commercial agreements worth billions of US dollars. The signed agreements involved energy, artificial intelligence (AI), armaments, and technology.

Saudi Arabia will purchase weapons worth 142 billion US dollars, marking the largest arms deal ever. The Saudi company, DataVolt, will invest 20 billion US dollars in AI-related projects in the United States. Technology companies, including Google, will invest in both countries.

The American chip producer, Nvidia, will deliver 18,000 chips to Saudi Arabia. Nvidia will partner with the AI startup owned by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, Humain. These thousands of chips will support the new artificial intelligence data center project being developed in Saudi Arabia.

To strengthen its cloud computing infrastructure, Saudi Arabia needs foreign investment assistance. "AI, like electricity and the internet, is essential infrastructure for every country," said Nvidia founder Jensen Huang.

According to a statement at the Saudi-US Investment Forum in Riyadh on Tuesday, the advanced Blackwell chip will be used in a 500-megawatt data center in Saudi Arabia. Nvidia, based in California, explained that the initial implementation will utilize the Blackwell GB300 chip. This is one of Nvidia's most advanced AI chips currently and is set to be launched in early 2025.

Trump is seeking to strengthen relations with Saudi Arabia in order to enhance regional ties with Israel and act as a bulwark against Iran. Specifically in the defense sector, there is cooperation in air and missile defense, air and space forces, as well as maritime security and communication.

It is unclear whether the agreement includes Lockheed F-35 jet aircraft. If further agreements are reached in the coming months, Saudi Arabia will issue a total cooperation package worth 1 trillion US dollars.

Saudi Arabia is one of the largest customers of U.S. weapons. The two countries have maintained a strong relationship for decades based on the arrangement of Saudi Arabia sending oil and the U.S. providing security.

However, relations became strained after the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was living in the United States, by Saudi agents in Turkey in 2018. U.S. intelligence concluded that Saudi Arabia approved the operation to capture or kill Khashoggi. This was denied by Saudi Arabia. Trump did not mention the incident while in Saudi Arabia. (REUTERS/AFP/AP)