President Donald Trump begins 4-day Middle East tour

(From left) US President Donald Trump with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh. Pic/AFP

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman welcomed President Donald Trump to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday as the US leader began a four-day Middle East tour.

Trump, as he did in his first term, is paying an early visit to the kingdom after the crown prince promised to pump hundreds of billions of dollars in new investments in the United States.

The US administration said it intended to use the trip to launch economic agreements with the Saudis as well as the governments of Qatar and United Arab Emirates later this week.

But behind closed doors, the leaders of all three countries are aiming to get a bead on US efforts to dismantle Iran's nuclear programme, end the war in Gaza, hold down oil prices and more.

The three countries on the President's itinerary are all places where the Trump Organisation, run by Trump's two elder sons, is developing major real estate projects. They include a high-rise tower in Jeddah, a luxury hotel in Dubai and a golf course and villa complex in Qatar.

Trump is expected to announce deals with the three wealthy countries that will touch on artificial intelligence, expanding energy cooperation and perhaps new arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

The administration earlier announced initial approval to sell $3.5 billion worth of air-to-air missiles for Saudi Arabia's fighter jets. But Riyadh has made clear that it wants US security guarantees, assistance with the kingdom's nuclear programme and progress on a pathway to Palestinian statehood.

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