US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Qatar will invest $10 billion in the coming years in the Al Udeid Air Base southwest of Doha, the largest US military facility in the Middle East.
Speaking at a meeting with business leaders in Qatar, Trump said his trip through the Gulf region could generate $4 trillion.
“This is a record tour. There’s never been a tour that will raise—it could be a total of $3.5, $4 trillion. Just in this four or five days,” he said.
He described his visits to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the Emirates as a historic trip.
Later during a visit to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on Thursday, where he spoke to American troops, Trump said, “We almost lost the Middle East because of the policies of the Joe Biden administration. But we’re going to protect the Middle East.”
On the nuclear file, Trump revealed that the United States is “very close to making a deal with Iran,” stating that Tehran has “somewhat agreed to the terms” of a long-term agreement. He added, “We want to deal with the Iran problem in a smart way — but not violently.”
On the situation in Yemen, Trump said the US is prepared to return to military operations against the Houthis if provoked.
“We’re dealing with the Houthis, and I think that’s been very successful. But maybe an attack will be launched tomorrow — in which case, we’ll go back to the offensive,” he said.
Trump then praised US troops stationed at the Al Udeid Air Base in Doha.
“You are the greatest fighting force in the history of the world. We have the strongest military in the world,” he said.
Trump also touted plans for advanced US warplanes — including the Boeing F-47 announced in March as an update on the F-22 and named in honor of both the incumbent 47th president and the founding year of the Air Force.
“We’re going to do an F-55 and I think if we get the right price, we have to get the right price, and that’ll be two engines and a super upgrade on the F-35,” Trump said.
The US President also commented on his meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh.
“I didn’t know Syria had been under sanctions for this long,” Trump said.
