09-05-2025
Gulf-US summit to take place in Riyadh next week
Saudi Arabia's King Salman has invited leaders of the Gulf Co-operation Council to attend a Gulf-US summit in Riyadh during US President Donald Trump's visit to the region next week, according to sources.
Mr Trump is scheduled to travel to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE on the first official foreign trip of his second term. His visit will begin in Riyadh, where he is expected to meet all GCC leaders. He will then travel to Doha and Abu Dhabi for bilateral meetings with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed.
The trip will 'be dollar-deal-focused', a State Department official told The National. 'We have Saudi, the UAE and potentially Qatar announcements as well.'
Major investment agreements, the Gaza war, Abraham Accords and tariffs are expected to dominate the agenda.
Mr Trump developed close ties with Gulf states during his first term. His return to the region comes amid efforts to deepen financial co-operation with Gulf states as he seeks their investment in the US and to secure support on regional flashpoints, including ending Israel's war on Gaza and limiting Iran's advancing nuclear programme.
Reports emerged earlier that Mr Trump plans to announce that the US will officially refer to the to the sea between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran as the "Arabian Gulf" or "Gulf of Arabia". This move follows his earlier directive to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America," which has already sparked controversy, both domestically and internationally.
The proposal has drawn backlash from Iran. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi criticised the move on social media. The dispute has deep historical roots and is a sensitive issue in the region.
Mr Trump then said he would make a final decision about how the US will refer to the body of water during his trip, adding that he does not want to 'hurt anybody's feelings'.
While the US military, particularly the Fifth Fleet based in Bahrain, has used the term "Arabian Gulf" to align with the preference of its host nation, the US federal government has traditionally used "Persian Gulf" in official documents. Mr Trump can change the name for official US purposes, but he cannot dictate what the rest of the world calls it.
Iran and the US have been engaged in several rounds of nuclear talks, with further negotiations expected to be held in the coming days.
