Washington [US], May 15: US President Donald Trump has extended an olive branch and issued a warning to Iran during his trip to three Middle Eastern countries without Israel.
Final warning?
Speaking at the Saudi-US Investment Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 13 (local time), US President Donald Trump called Iran "the most destructive force" in the Middle East, according to Reuters. The US leader delivered what he described as both a final warning and a potential opening for diplomacy, saying Iran had a choice between continuing "chaos and terror" or embracing a path to peace.
President Trump stressed that he was willing to reach a new agreement with Tehran but only if Iran's leaders changed. "I want to make a deal with Iran. But if the Iranian leadership refuses this olive branch... we will have no choice but to apply maximum pressure," Trump said. Trump also warned that "Iran will never have a nuclear weapon" and stressed that his offer of a deal would not last forever.
Yesterday (May 14), Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi responded to President Trump's statement, according to Reuters . Mr. Araqchi said: "Unfortunately, this is a deceptive view. It is the US that has prevented Iran's progress through sanctions."
Earlier, on May 13, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on more than 20 companies in a network that Washington said had long shipped Iranian oil to China. The Trump administration asserted that these oil sales helped fund Iran's development of ballistic missiles and drones, nuclear proliferation, and Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea, the US Navy and Israel.
"The United States will continue to target this key source of revenue until Tehran stops its support for terrorism and the proliferation of deadly weapons," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.
Saudi Arabia to make major investments in the US
Also at the Saudi Arabia-US Investment Forum on May 13, President Trump announced Saudi Arabia's commitment to invest $600 billion in the US. The first agreements under this commitment will strengthen America's energy security, defense industry, technological leadership, and access to global infrastructure and critical minerals, according to an announcement posted on the White House website.
The White House announced that the United States and Saudi Arabia signed the largest defense sales agreement in history on May 13, worth nearly $142 billion. Accordingly, the United States will provide Saudi Arabia with modern combat equipment and services from more than 10 American defense companies .
Saudi Arabia is the first stop on President Trump's three-country Middle East tour. According to the schedule, after leaving Saudi Arabia on May 14, Mr. Trump will visit Qatar and the UAE. This is President Trump's first visit to the Middle East since he returned to the White House on January 20. However, Israel is not on the schedule for Mr. Trump's Middle East tour this time.
President Trump's decision not to visit Israel raises questions about the place of this close ally in Washington's priorities as Trump pressures Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a new ceasefire in the 19-month conflict in the Gaza Strip, according to Reuters. Meanwhile, AP reported that US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee downplayed the significance of Trump's decision not to visit Israel, saying that Trump's trip to the Middle East is focused on economic issues.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
