Trump caps Gulf tour in Emirates

Secures $1.4 trillion investment pledge

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US President Donald Trump yesterday capped off a Gulf tour in Abu Dhabi that has seen the securing of multi-billion-dollar deals and a $1.4 trillion investment pledge from the United Arab Emirates.

On his first foreign tour of his second term, Mr Trump oversaw a $200 billion order from Qatar Airways for Boeing jets and a $600 billion investment from Saudi Arabia — including nearly $142 billion in arms, which the White House described as the largest-ever arms deal.

Mr Trump also expressed optimism over reaching a new agreement with Iran over its nuclear programme, and in a seismic diplomatic shift, decided to lift decades-long sanctions on Syria.

In Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE, Mr Trump was greeted with lavish welcomes and hailed the three Arab leaders. He said that he and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) “like each other a lot” — in sharp contrast with the frosty Saudi-US relations that marked the start of Joe Biden's term.