Middle East trip highlights President Donald Trump’s 17th week in office
Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Iranian officials for a fourth round of nuclear talks over the weekend.
TRUMP HITS IRAN’S POCKETBOOK AS HE DANGLES A CARROT IN MIDDLE EAST SPEECH
The nuclear talks were “difficult but useful,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door negotiations, offered more, describing the talks as being both indirect and direct, The Associated Press reported.
An “agreement was reached to move forward with the talks to continue working through technical elements,” the U.S. official said. “We are encouraged by today’s outcome and look forward to our next meeting, which will happen in the near future.”
The Trump administration has said the flawed 2015 Obama-era Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal, did not prevent Iran from building an atomic bomb.
Trump, throughout his visit, made stark warnings to Iran — verbally, and through sanctions.
Just shortly after dangling a carrot of a “brighter future” for Iran, the Treasury Department gave a taste of Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign and sanctioned more than two dozen firms operating in Iran’s illicit international oil trade.
TRUMP HITS IRAN’S POCKETBOOK AS HE DANGLES A CARROT IN MIDDLE EAST SPEECH
Trump said Iran has the nuclear “proposal.”
“But more importantly, they know they have to move quickly or something bad — something bad is going to happen,” the president said.
Next, the president traveled to Qatar, where he signed a series of agreements with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha.
Trump and his motorcade were greeted by dozens of mounted camels after his plane landed in Qatar Wednesday morning as he continues his four-day trip to the Middle East.
The agreements there involved a purchasing agreement by Qatar for Boeing aircraft, as well as letters of intent and “joint cooperation” between Qatar and the U.S. The emir also signed an intent agreement to purchase MQ-9 drone aircraft.
President Donald Trump is greeted by Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani as he arrives on Air Force One at Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (Alex Brandon/AP)
Al Thani said he had a “great” conversation with Trump prior to the signing ceremony Wednesday, adding that the agreements have elevated the U.S.-Qatar relationship to “another level.”
The president then met with U.S. service members at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, and cited “substantial pay raises” for U.S. troops in his 2026 budget.
“You are without a doubt the greatest fighting force in the history of the world,” Trump said. “And as your commander-in-chief, I’m here to say that America’s military will soon be bigger, better, stronger and more powerful than ever.”
