US President Donald Trump will travel to the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia on his first formal overseas visit since taking office this year.
The trip will take place from May 13-16, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. This Friday, Mr Trump will travel to Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis, who died early on Monday.
"The President looks to strengthen the ties between the United States and these countries which he will be visiting," Ms Leavitt said on Tuesday. "He'll be having many bilateral meetings and talks."
Late last month, Mr Trump said he was likely to visit the Middle East in the months ahead.
Tuesday's confirmation comes after the US announced and then temporarily paused a series of tariffs on all trading partners, including the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Mr Trump has said the levies are aimed at levelling the global trade field and will encourage investment in the US.
When he first raised the possibility of a regional trip, he said he had visited Saudi Arabia during his first term in the White House after Riyadh made $450 billion worth of investments in US companies. He said Saudi Arabia has this time promised to more than double that amount with a pledge that amounts to nearly $1 trillion.
“I view it as jobs more than anything else and now we’re close to a trillion dollars,” Mr Trump said. “So, it’s more than double the number that we did when I first came to office.”
The trip is expected to feature discussions on tariffs as well as other economic issues, and could also touch on the Israel-Gaza war. Mr Trump has vowed to bring peace to the Middle East and his regional envoy Steve Witkoff has been actively engaged in ceasefire talks.
Earlier on Tuesday, Mr Trump said he had spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about several issues, including trade and Iran, and that the two leaders see eye to eye.
“The call went very well – we are on the same side of every issue,” Mr Trump wrote in a post on TruthSocial.
Mr Trump has said the US would take military action against Iran if it does not agree to a new deal that would curb its nuclear activities. Israel is opposed to a new negotiated deal between Washington and Tehran, and wants to see strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, preferably with US support.
"It was a good call," Ms Leavitt said. "They spoke particularly about Iran, the negotiations that are under way with Iran in the United States, and the President had made it very clear repeatedly, but I'll reiterate, there is no daylight between the United States of America and the state of Israel."
Mr Trump has said that he first wants to see if talks with Iran can be successful before making a decision on military action. Talks are expected to continue at the weekend.
Results
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
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QUALIFYING RESULTS
1. Max Verstappen, Netherlands, Red Bull Racing Honda, 1 minute, 35.246 seconds.
2. Valtteri Bottas, Finland, Mercedes, 1:35.271.
3. Lewis Hamilton, Great Britain, Mercedes, 1:35.332.
4. Lando Norris, Great Britain, McLaren Renault, 1:35.497.
5. Alexander Albon, Thailand, Red Bull Racing Honda, 1:35.571.
6. Carlos Sainz Jr, Spain, McLaren Renault, 1:35.815.
7. Daniil Kvyat, Russia, Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda, 1:35.963.
8. Lance Stroll, Canada, Racing Point BWT Mercedes, 1:36.046.
9. Charles Leclerc, Monaco, Ferrari, 1:36.065.
10. Pierre Gasly, France, Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda, 1:36.242.
Eliminated after second session
11. Esteban Ocon, France, Renault, 1:36.359.
12. Daniel Ricciardo, Australia, Renault, 1:36.406.
13. Sebastian Vettel, Germany, Ferrari, 1:36.631.
14. Antonio Giovinazzi, Italy, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari, 1:38.248.
Eliminated after first session
15. Antonio Giovinazzi, Italy, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari, 1:37.075.
16. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari, 1:37.555.
17. Kevin Magnussen, Denmark, Haas Ferrari, 1:37.863.
18. George Russell, Great Britain, Williams Mercedes, 1:38.045.
19. Pietro Fittipaldi, Brazil, Haas Ferrari, 1:38.173.
20. Nicholas Latifi, Canada, Williams Mercedes, 1:38.443.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
FA Cup quarter-final draw
The matches will be played across the weekend of 21 and 22 March
Sheffield United v Arsenal
Newcastle v Manchester City
Norwich v Derby/Manchester United
Leicester City v Chelsea
SPECS
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Soldier F
“I was in complete disgust at the fact that only one person was to be charged for Bloody Sunday.
“Somebody later said to me, 'you just watch - they'll drop the charge against him'. And sure enough, the charges against Soldier F would go on to be dropped.
“It's pretty hard to think that 50 years on, the State is still covering up for what happened on Bloody Sunday.”
Jimmy Duddy, nephew of John Johnson
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Copa del Rey
Barcelona v Real Madrid
Semi-final, first leg
Wednesday (midnight UAE)
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Racecard
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UAE squad v Australia
Rohan Mustafa (C), Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Fahad Nawaz, Amjed Gul, Shaiman Anwar, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Muhammad Naveed, Amir Hayat, Ghulam Shabir (WK), Qadeer Ahmed, Tahir Latif, Zahoor Khan
Company%20profile
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