Day: May 16, 2025

Victor Davis Hanson: Trump’s Ambitious Middle East Vision | Explained

Iran Thinks They Can Outlast Trump. Can They? President Donald Trump embarked on his first major foreign trip to the Middle East this week, making stops in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.   The goal? Replacing “strife” with “money,” bring Iran into the fold, and drop hostilities towards Israel. An ambitious agenda, perhaps too ambitious, argues Victor Davis Hanson in today’s edition of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words:”“And the subtext of all of these meetings was: We’re going to replace strife with money. We're all going to be profitable. We have to bring the cause of all of this trouble, Iran, into the fold of the Middle East and drop the hostility to Israel. Notice, of course, that he didn't go to Israel, although he was trying to elicit support for the continuation of the Abraham Accords with Saudi Arabia and Qatar.   “This is very ambitious, but it's also very dangerous. Donald Trump thinks he can cut a deal with Iran so that they would do essentially three things: They would give up their nuclear program; they would stop the subsidies to the terrorist surrogates of Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis; and they would liberalize their society and reenter the family of nations.   I don't think that Shia theocracy feels that is their agenda.”

President Trump meets with UAE (United Arab Eminate) President during bilateral meeting

President Donald Trump participated in a bilateral meeting with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the Palace of the Nations on Thursday. Trump was awarded a medal known as the Order of Zayed, named for the U.A.E.’s first president.

Sheikh Mohamed: UAE Will Invest $1.4T in U.S. Over Next Decade, Following Meeting With Trump

U.S. President Donald J. Trump is greeted by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan upon his arrival on May 15, 2025 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
5:00 PM – Thursday, May 15, 2025

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), unveiled a new initiative on Thursday to invest $1.4 trillion in the United States over the next ten years.

He is also the ruler of Abu Dhabi, the largest emirate within the UAE.

The Middle Eastern leader emphasized the move as a testament to the “strong partnership” with President Donald Trump and Washington, D.C., which he noted has begun to thrive under the leadership of the 47th GOP president.

“The UAE’s plan to invest $1.4 trillion in the United States over the next 10 years is a testament to the strength of our strategic relationship,” the UAE president said. His remarks came during the final leg of President Trump’s four-day tour of the Gulf region, which has seen a wave of business and defense agreements with several countries.

Earlier in the day, President Trump also visited the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest U.S. military installation in the Middle East. In a speech to American troops stationed at the base, he announced that Qatar plans to invest $10 billion to enhance the facility in the coming years — as reported by Reuters.

Trump also confirmed that Qatar had finalized defense procurement agreements valued at $42 billion on Wednesday.

Trump’s Middle East tour has already secured significant business commitments, including Saudi Arabia’s pledge to invest $600 billion in the United States and a commitment from Qatar Airways to acquire up to 210 Boeing widebody aircraft.

In a strategic move to establish itself as a global hub for artificial intelligence (AI), the UAE has now secured a preliminary agreement with the United States to annually import 500,000 of Nvidia’s most advanced AI chips, beginning this year, according to Reuters. These “cutting-edge chips” are expected to drive large-scale data centers integral to the UAE’s ambitious AI agenda.

Nevertheless, the prospective agreement has also raised some “security concerns” among certain factions within the U.S. government, primarily due to apprehensions regarding potential technology diversion. The deal may undergo revisions — an official told the press on the condition of anonymity.

During his stay, President Trump was received with high honors, including a state dinner at the Qasr al-Watan presidential palace in Abu Dhabi. He was also awarded the Order of Zayed, the UAE’s highest civilian honor — in recognition of his efforts to strengthen U.S.-UAE relations.

Additionally, in a historic move, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque was closed down to the public for the first time to accommodate Trump’s visit.

The Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, was also illuminated with the American flag in a welcoming gesture.

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