Trump heads to the Gulf eyeing deals amid diplomatic offensive

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Donald Trump will arrive in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday on the first leg of a Gulf tour that will also take him to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, eyeing business deals even as accords on the Middle East's hotspots will likely be harder to reach.

The trip marks the US president's first major visit abroad of his second term, with the White House saying he looked forward to a "historic return" to the region.

Eight years ago Trump also chose Saudi Arabia for his first overseas trip as president -- when he memorably posed with a glowing orb and participated in a sword dance.

His decision to once again bypass traditional Western allies to travel to the Gulf states underscores their increasingly crucial geopolitical role -- along with his own business relations in the region.

In the days before the trip, the White House has played an instrumental part in hammering out a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, the release of an American hostage in Gaza and holding another round of nuclear talks with Iran.

Those initiatives came after a surprise announcement by Trump last week of agreeing to a truce with the Huthis in Yemen.

'Deals'

But the focus during the tour of the Gulf will likely be locking down business agreements.

"White House sources have indicated that the president will focus on 'deals'," wrote Daniel B. Shapiro, a distinguished fellow with the Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative.

Riyadh, Doha and Abu Dhabi are expected to roll out the red carpet with a lavish royal welcome for the 78-year-old billionaire.

"The president looks forward to embarking on his historic return to the Middle East" to promote a vision where "extremism is defeated in place of commerce and cultural exchanges", Trump's spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said ahead of the trip.

The Gulf states have positioned themselves as key diplomatic partners during Trump's second term.

Doha remains a major broker for negotiations between Hamas and Israel, while Saudi Arabia has facilitated talks on the war in Ukraine.