pResident Donald Trump ended his tour in three countries in the Middle East, during which he took major steps to change U.S. relations with the region.

The president consolidated the investment agreement, held the first meeting between the U.S. and Syrian presidents within 25 years, hinting at the potential of a nuclear deal with Iran, and so on.

Trump started his visit when he landed in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday, May 13, and was greeted with a luxurious welcome at the Royal Saudi Palace. He signed multi-billion dollar deals and agreements covering many industries.

Qatar is Trump's next stop. He landed in the capital Doha on Wednesday, May 14. The roundtable with business leaders has been signed a series of deals, including a $96 billion Boeing deal, where Trump radiates his thoughts on the U.S. acquisition of the Gaza Strip.

Trump arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, May 15 for the final stop of his tour, during which he signed a deal for about $1.4 trillion worth of AI.

In reflecting on his journey, Trump lamented that future presidents are likely to be praised for their achievements. "Someone wants honor for this," Trump told reporters during the flight of the Air Force One.

It was a critical moment when Trump returned to Washington, D.C. when he looked back at his whirlwind tour of the Middle East:

Signing $142 billion arms deal in Saudi Arabia

Trump's trip began with the welcome of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Tesla CEO and head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Elon Musk, along with other important American business figures, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, joined the president.

Plans to lift sanctions on Syria and meet with Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa

Trump said in an unexpected announcement at the U.S. Sudi Investment Forum on Tuesday, May 13 that he plans to lift sanctions on Syria, some of which have been in place for more than 45 years.

Trump called the sanctions “brutally and cruel” but pointed out their need to be ahead of the collapse of the Bashar Assad regime in December 2024. Trump said that now, in this new era, it is time for Syria to "shine".

Many experts, including senior research analyst Benjamin Feve, at Karam Shaar Advisory, said Trump's plan to list sanctions may not be direct.

"It's not only about him (Trump) to announce that, you have to go through a specific process involving government barriers. You have the Secretary of State, the Treasury Department, Congress," Feve told Time. “It has to be rethinked and redesigned to continue to be imposed on them.”

The collapse of the Assad regime in December happened when Ahmed al-Sharaa's group Tahril Am Sam (HTS) led the rebel coalition. Assad fled Syria with his family and sought asylum in Russia. HTS has been designated by the United States as a terrorist organization, and Al-Sharaa was arrested by the U.S. government before it was lifted in December.

Trump and al-Sharaa met in Riyadh on Wednesday, May 14. They were accompanied by the Saudi Crown Prince, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan joined remotely by phone.

Trump then spoke to reporters on Air Force One, describing the Syrian leader as "young, charismatic. Strong. Past. Past. Past.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later revealed that Trump urged al-Sharaa to normalize ties with Israel, terrorist crackdowns in Syria, and to work with the United States to prevent any ISIS revival.

Trump said in an article on a social media platform on May 14: "The Boeing 747 was given to the U.S. Air Force/Defense, not me! This is a gift from a country, Qatar, we have successfully defended for many years... "Only a fool can accept this gift on behalf of our country. ”

He also defended his position Fox NewsSean Hannity is on Air Force One.

Qatar Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani raised his views on the gift controversy in an interview with CNN.

"It's still under legal review. I don't know why it's getting so big...we're doing a lot with the United States," he said, adding that it's just "a very simple situation of government-to-government deal."

When asked if this is an example of “buy influence” with the United States, the Qatari leader said: “Why should we buy influence in the United States? If you look at the last decade of U.S.-Qatar relations, Qatar has been around us when we need it… We believe that this friendship requires mutual benefit between the two countries. This cannot create a one-way relationship for both countries.”

Trump suggests U.S. take over Gaza to make it a "free zone"

The obvious absence of Trump's stay list during the Middle East Tour is Israel, but the ongoing Israel-Hamas war remains the center of presidential discussions. Trump expressed hope for the “security and dignity” of Palestinians in Gaza at the Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Riyadh on Wednesday.

The next morning, during a roundtable discussion with Doha’s business leaders, Trump once again raised his idea of ​​the U.S. taking over Gaza. This idea has been condemned by many world leaders before because it may involve displacement of the entire Palestinian population. "I think I'll be proud of myself for having the United States, accepting it, making it a free zone," Trump said.

"They never solved the Gaza problem, and if you look at it, I have aerial shooting, I mean, there are actually no buildings, there are no buildings. People live under the rubble of buildings, which is unacceptable, it is huge death. I want to see a free zone."

In an interview with NBC on Wednesday, Ali Shamkhani, the main political, military and nuclear adviser for Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said the country is ready to sign a nuclear deal with the United States.

If a deal is to be concluded, Iran will not create nuclear weapons, which will reduce the inventory of enriched uranium to the level required for civilian use only and allow international inspectors to monitor the process. In return, all economic sanctions on Iran need to be lifted. Shamkhani said that if these conditions are met, Iran will sign the agreement on the same day.

At a roundtable in Doha on Thursday, Trump said talks between U.S. special envoy of the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Abbas Araghchi are in “very serious negotiations.”

But, Aragic later said that abundance of uranium is the core right of Iran, which is about the red line of negotiations.