US president has focused attention on the Gulf, visiting the region in first foreign policy trip of his second term.
President Donald Trump has hosted Qatar’s prime minister for a private dinner and met with Bahrain’s crown prince at the White House as part of a United States effort to address regional issues, including securing a Gaza ceasefire, and promote diplomatic ties with the Gulf region.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, the Qatari prime minister and a member of the country’s ruling family, had a private dinner with Trump on Wednesday evening. Before this meal, Trump met with Bahrain Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa in the Oval Office.
With little progress to share on the region’s most pressing conflicts, including Israel’s war on Gaza, Trump was more focused on Wednesday on promoting diplomatic ties as a vehicle for economic growth.
Trump has lavished attention on the Gulf, a wealthy region where members of his family have extensive business relationships. In mid-May, he visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on the first foreign policy trip of his second term.
While in Qatar in mid-May, Trump complimented its palaces and stopped at the Al Udeid Air Base, the biggest US military base in the Middle East.
The base was hit by Iran after the US bombed the country’s nuclear facilities, hours before a ceasefire was declared in the US-Israel-Iran conflict. One ballistic missile made impact, while others were intercepted.
The visit culminated in deals worth at least $1.2 trillion, including a major transaction for Qatar Airways to buy 210 aircraft from Boeing. Another deal included purchases of drone and anti-drone technology from US defence companies like Raytheon, and investments in the US energy sector.
Trump wants to use a luxurious Boeing 747 donated by Qatar as his Air Force One, saying he is tired of waiting for Boeing to finish new planes. However, the arrangement has stirred concerns about security and the ethics of accepting a gift from a foreign government.
Aaron David Miller, who served as an adviser on Middle East issues to Democratic and Republican administrations, said “the Gulf represents everything that Trump believes is right about the Middle East.
“It’s rich, it’s stable, it’s populated by authoritarians with whom the president feels very comfortable,” said Miller.
During his earlier meeting with Al Khalifa, Trump said: “Anything they needed, we helped them. And anything we needed, they helped us.”
Bahrain is a longtime ally that hosts the US Fifth Fleet, which operates in the Middle East.
Like other Arab leaders, Al Khalifa is eager to highlight the lucrative potential of diplomatic ties with the US, including $17bn worth of investments.
“And this is real,” he said. “It’s real money. These aren’t fake deals.”
According to the White House, the agreements include purchasing US aircraft, jet engines and computer servers. More investments could be made in aluminium production and artificial intelligence.
Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the crown prince’s father, is expected to visit Washington before the end of the year. An important part of the relationship will be an agreement, signed on Wednesday, to advance cooperation on civilian nuclear energy.