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 US State Department official told The National. “We have Saudi, the UAE and potentially Qatar announcements as well.”
Major investment agreements, the Israel-Gaza war, Abraham Accords and tariffs are expected to dominate the agenda. A fourth round of nuclear talks between the US and Iran is also set to take place shortly before Mr Trump arrives.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the latest indirect talks would take place in Oman on Sunday. He is also expected to travel to Saudi Arabia and Qatar before Mr Trump's trip.
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 these nations. He is seeking their investment in the US, and to secure support on regional flashpoints, including ending the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Gaza discussions
Mr Trump will arrive at a time of renewed concern over Gaza, after a ceasefire he took credit for in January failed to last as Israel launched new operations in the enclave.
Alarms have been raised over Israel's latest plans for Gaza, which include long-term occupation of its territory and food being delivered in secure zones. The US on Friday put forward an alternative suggestion that Israel could be in charge of securing humanitarian routes but not distributing aid.
“The Israelis are going to be involved in providing necessary military security, because it is a war zone, but they will not be involved in the distribution of the food, or even in the bringing of the food into Gaza,” said Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel.
The US-led initiative has been met with international criticism as it appears to sideline the United Nations and existing aid organisations. But Mr Huckabee said the US calls upon “people who have been concerned about it to join in this process”. He expressed hope that the plan could be put into action “very soon”.
Name debate
Reports emerged earlier that Mr Trump plans to announce that the US will officially refer to the sea between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran as the “Arabian Gulf” or “Gulf of Arabia”.
It follows Mr Trump's directive to rename the “Gulf of Mexico” as the “Gulf of America”, which has sparked controversy domestically and internationally.
The US proposal to change the name of the waterway from the “Persian Gulf” has drawn a 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.
Donald Trump's 2017 visit to the Middle East – in pictures
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US President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi place their hands on an illuminated globe during the inauguration ceremony of the Global Centre for Combating Extremist Ideology in Riyadh. Getty Images -
Front row, left to right, President Sheikh Mohamed, Mr Trump, King Salman, and Jordan's King Abdullah II, with Qatar's Emir, Sheikh Tamim, far left, at the Arab-Islamic-American Summit in Riyadh. Reuters -
King Salman and Mr Trump. Reuters -
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Mr Trump and former White House senior advisor Jared Kushner. Reuters -
Mr Trump and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, as their wives Sara Netanyahu and Melania Trump walk behind, in Tel Aviv. Reuters -
Mr Trump meets with Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in Riyadh. Reuters -
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed with Mr Kushner and his wife Ivanka Trump at the Global Centre for Combatting Extremist Ideology in Riyadh. Reuters -
Mr and Mrs Trump board Air Force One to depart for Israel from King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. Reuters
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.
Since April, Iran and the US have been engaged in several rounds of nuclear talks, with further negotiations expected in the coming days.
