RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — President Trump called on Saudi Arabia to recognize Israel during a speech to the oil-rich kingdom’s leaders on Tuesday — saying “you’ll be greatly honoring me” by doing so. Trump frequently referred to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman by name during his speech as the country’s de facto ruler watched from the front row.

U.S. President Donald Trump met with Syria's president in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and urged him to normalise ties with longtime foe Israel, after a surprise U.S. announcement that it would lift all sanctions on the Islamist-led government.

Trump urged al-Sharaa to join countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco, which normalised ties with Israel under the US-brokered Abraham Accords in 2020.

President Donald Trump, speaking to Gulf leaders at the Gulf Cooperation Council, said he wanted to make a deal with Iran and called for adding more countries to the Abraham Accords.

The dynamics are shifting in the Middle East under a U.S. president who sees the world through a financial lens.

United States and Saudi Arabia signed a host of agreements in presence of Donald Trump and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Al Saud. The agreements included defence deals worth $142 billion, the biggest-ever between the two countries.

Four years ago, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman struggled to get an audience with then-President Joe Biden, who said he wanted to make the Gulf country a pariah after its leader allegedly ordered the murder of a Washington-based journalist.