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Express Tribune
7 days ago
- Business
- Express Tribune
Bahrain announces $17 billion in US deals during Trump talks
US President Donald Trump meets with Bahrain's Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa at the White House in Washington, DC, US, July 16, 2025. Photo: Reuters Listen to article Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa on Wednesday announced plans to invest over $17 billion in the United States during a meeting with former President Donald Trump. The high-level discussions focused on trade, Iran, and regional security matters. As part of the investment package, Bahrain is expected to sign a $7 billion deal for its national airline, Gulf Air, to purchase 12 Boeing aircraft, with an option for six additional planes, along with 40 General Electric engines, according to a White House official. 'We're very happy to be announcing $17 billion worth of deals that are coming to the United States,' Crown Prince Salman said during an Oval Office visit. 'And this is real. These aren't fake deals.' The announcement came on the heels of previous foreign investment commitments Trump secured during his 2023 visit to the Middle East. During his stop in Riyadh, the former president obtained a $600-billion investment pledge from Saudi Arabia and agreed to sell an arms package worth nearly $142 billion. Read More: Syria says agreement reached to halt military operations in Sweida Sunni-ruled Bahrain remains a key security ally of the United States in the Gulf, hosting the US Navy's Fifth Fleet. It normalized relations with Israel in 2020 under the US-brokered Abraham Accords, driven by mutual concerns over Shiite-majority Iran. Bahrain's exports currently face a 10% baseline tariff under Trump's trade policy but have avoided broader levies imposed on other countries. Trump said he and the crown prince would also discuss Iran behind closed doors. The Islamic Republic has come under increased pressure to resume nuclear negotiations, with Washington and three European powers setting a late-August deadline to revive the stalled talks. Last month, the US and Israel carried out joint strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, alleging that Tehran's programme was aimed at developing nuclear weapons. Iran has consistently maintained that its nuclear programme is intended solely for civilian purposes. According to a US official, the Bahrain investment deal is expected to support 30,000 American jobs. The agreement was facilitated with assistance from Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. In addition to the aircraft deal, Bahrain is expected to sign agreements with US tech giants Oracle and Cisco. The Gulf state plans to replace Chinese-made servers with Cisco products and expand its investments in US energy, technology, and manufacturing sectors. Further plans include increasing US domestic aluminium production, investing in LNG (liquefied natural gas) to bolster energy supplies, and purchasing advanced AI chips in partnership with American hyperscalers. Also Read: Pro-Palestinian demonstrator arrested at Tour de France During the visit, multiple agreements and memoranda of understanding were signed, including one to promote a peaceful nuclear partnership between Bahrain and the United States. The document was signed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani during a meeting at the State Department. The US official confirmed that Bahrain's King is expected to visit Washington later this year to finalize the agreements and solidify efforts to deepen economic ties between the two nations.
Straits Times
7 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Bahrain announces over $20b in US deals during Trump talks
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa (left) meeting US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House on July 16. WASHINGTON - Bahrain's crown prince announced on July 16 plans to invest more than US$17 billion (S$21.8 billion) in the United States at a meeting with President Donald Trump focused on trade, Iran and regional security issues. Under the plan, Bahrain was expected to sign a deal valued at about US$7 billion for its national carrier, Gulf Air, to buy 12 Boeing aircraft with an option for six more and 40 General Electric engines, according to a White House official. 'We're very happy to be announcing US$17 billion worth of deals that are coming to the United States,' said Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa. 'And this is real. These aren't fake deals.' The announcement from Prince Salman came during an Oval Office visit on the heels of foreign investment deals Mr Trump made during a trip to the Middle East in May. During a visit to Riyadh, Mr Trump secured a US$600-billion commitment from Saudi Arabia to invest in the United States and agreed to sell the Saudis an arms package worth nearly US$142 billion. Sunni-ruled Bahrain is an important security partner of the United States, hosting the US Navy's Fifth Fleet. It established ties with Israel in 2020 under the US-brokered Abraham Accords, driven in part by shared concerns over Shiite-majority Iran. Bahrain's exports face a 10 per cent baseline tariff under Mr Trump's trade policies but have been spared larger levies imposed on other countries' exports. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Over 600 Telegram groups in Singapore selling, advertising vapes removed by HSA Singapore 2 weeks' jail for man caught smuggling over 1,800 vapes and pods into Singapore Singapore Jail for man who fatally hit his daughter, 2, while driving van without licence Sport 'Like being in a washing machine with 40 deg C water': Open water swimmers brave challenging conditions Singapore Primary 1 registration: 38 primary schools to conduct ballot in Phase 2A Singapore ComfortDelGro to introduce new taxi cancellation, waiting fee policy Business Cathay Cineplexes gets fresh demands to pay up $3.3m debt for Century Square, Causeway Point outlets Singapore Countering misinformation requires both laws and access to trusted news sources: Josephine Teo Mr Trump said the two men would privately discuss Iran, which is under pressure to resume nuclear talks with the US as Washington and three major European countries have agreed to set the end of August as the deadline for a deal. Israel and the US launched strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities in June, saying that they were part of a programme geared towards developing nuclear weapons. Tehran maintains that its nuclear programme is purely for civilian purposes. The US official said the new Bahrain deal will support 30,000 American jobs and was secured with help from Mr Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Bahrain is expected to sign deals with Oracle and Cisco, with plans to replace Chinese servers with Cisco products, the official said. Bahrain also seeks to increase its investments in US energy, tech, and manufacturing sectors. The official said the crown prince intends to deploy capital to increase US domestic aluminium production, invest in US LNG production to secure energy supplies and purchase cutting-edge AI chips, partnering with US hyperscalers. During the visit, the crown prince signed various deals and memoranda of understanding confirming those arrangements. One of these memos seeks to advance peaceful nuclear partnership between Bahrain and the US. It was signed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani during a State Department visit before the Oval Office meeting. Later this year, the king of Bahrain will visit Washington to finalise these agreements and solidify the progress made in building the two nations' economic prosperity, the US official said. REUTERS
Al-Ahram Weekly
01-03-2025
- General
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Saudi Arabia, most other Sunni Arab states to start Ramadan Saturday - Region
For Muslims in Saudi Arabia and most Sunni-ruled Middle Eastern states Ramadan will begin on Saturday, but in Shiite-majority Iran and Iraq it will start the following day, authorities announced. The holy month, during which hundreds of millions of faithful around the world observe a daytime fast, traditionally begins with the sighting of the crescent moon. Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia, home to Islam's two holiest sites, was joined by its Gulf Arab neighbours in declaring that the moon had been sighted on Friday. "The Supreme Court has decided that tomorrow, Saturday, is the first day of the month of (Ramadan)," the official Saudi Press Agency posted on X. Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, the Palestinian territories, Sudan and Tunisia announced they too would begin the daytime fast on Saturday. But the office of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and Iraq's top Shia cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, declared Sunday the first day of Ramadan. Only in Morocco, at the far-western edge of the Arab world, will Sunnis start observing the daytime fast on Sunday, its Islamic affairs ministry announced. In multi-confessional Lebanon, the grand mufti announced Saturday as the first day of Ramadan for Sunnis, state media reported. Observing the Ramadan fast is one of the five pillars of Islam, requiring believers to abstain from eating, drinking, and smoking during daylight hours. Observant Muslims are also encouraged to donate to the poor. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Saudi Arabia, Gulf neighbours say Ramadan to start on Saturday
For Muslims in Saudi Arabia and most Sunni-ruled Middle Eastern states Ramadan will begin on Saturday, but in Shiite-majority Iran and Iraq it will start the following day, authorities announced. The holy month, during which hundreds of millions of faithful around the world observe a daytime fast, traditionally begins with the sighting of the crescent moon. Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia, home to Islam's two holiest sites, was joined by its Gulf Arab neighbours in declaring that it had been sighted on Friday. "The Supreme Court has decided that tomorrow, Saturday, is the first day of the month of (Ramadan)," the official Saudi Press Agency posted on X. Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, the Palestinian territories and Sudan announced they too would begin the fast on Saturday. But the office of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, declared Sunday the first day of Ramadan. In multi-confessional Lebanon, the grand mufti announced Saturday as the first day of Ramadan for Sunnis, state media reported. Observing the Ramadan fast is one of the five pillars of Islam, requiring believers to abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex during daylight hours. Observant Muslims are also encouraged to donate to the poor. burs/kir/it
The Guardian
10-02-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Saudi woman jailed for 34 years over tweets is released
A Saudi student at Leeds University who was sentenced to 34 years in prison over her use of Twitter, now X, has been released after her sentence was dramatically reduced. Salma al-Shehab, a mother of two who was arrested in 2021 during a holiday in Saudi Arabia, was convicted in 2022 over her tweets. The London-based Saudi rights group ALQST announced her release on Monday. In January, ALQST and other groups said al-Shehab's sentence had been reduced to four years in prison, with an additional four years suspended. 'Her full freedom must now be granted, including the right to travel to complete her studies,' the group said. Saudi Arabia did not immediately acknowledge her release, and Saudi officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press. Al-Shehab was detained during a family holiday on 15 January 2021, days before she planned to return to the UK. She is a member of Saudi Arabia's Shia Muslim minority, which has long complained of systemic discrimination in the Sunni-ruled kingdom. She was initially sentenced to serve three years in prison for the 'crime' of using an internet website to 'cause public unrest and destabilise civil and national security'. But an appeals court later handed down the new sentence – 34 years in prison followed by a 34-year travel ban – after a public prosecutor asked the court to consider other alleged crimes. The additional charges included the allegation that Shehab was 'assisting those who seek to cause public unrest and destabilise civil and national security by following their Twitter accounts' and by retweeting their tweets.
