U.S. president Donald Trump arrived in Saudi Arabia early Saturday in the first leg of his Middle East tour. Trump will meet with King Salman to cement ties and hopefully create an Arab alliance against Iran. Saudi Arabia is the first foreign country to be visited by President Trump after he came into office.
What will be Trump's first agenda in Saudi Arabia?
After the arrival ceremonies, Trump will attend the Arab Islamic American Summit, where he will talk about a peaceful vision of Islam and a common vision of peace, progress, and prosperity.
However, one of the main agenda of Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia is his $110 billion arms deal, which is the largest single-sale weapons deal with the Saudi government.
Included in the deal is Lockheed Martin selling four Littoral combat ships, which will strengthen Riyadh's already dominating navy. The said deal is worth $6 billion and will replace the aging French Lafayette frigates, which comprised the main Saudi Arabian fleet.
However, the real agenda that needs to be made is the creation of an alliance of Middle Eastern nations sympathetic to America's opposition to Iran. At the moment, the Saudi Arabia is allied with the UAE and both are quelling the Houthi takeover in Yemen and both countries oppose Iran politically and ideologically.
How will the United States benefit from having a strong Saudi Arabia?
The United States is trying its best to end the threat of ISIS in the Middle East.
However, with countries like Iran who are not cooperative, the counter-terrorism goal of the U.S. will not be easily met.
This is why building up regional allies is important for American plans for the Middle East. Because Saudi Arabia and Iran are politically opposed to each other, the United States is now building up ties with Riyadh to become its major Muslim ally in the Persian gulf.
Strengthening the Saudi Arabian navy and air force is the aim of the multi-billion dollar deal with Riyadh to ultimately check Iran's influence and curb its dominance in the area.
It is hoped that through Trump's visit, the relationship of the United States with Saudi Arabia will be strengthened. Making an ally of Saudi is very important especially as the start of the ground offensive against ISIS-held territories will begin in June.
The United States will definitely take advantage of the friendship tied today with Riyadh to eventually defeat a major terrorist group in Syria. The United States will also close deals with the UAE to improve its military so as to help check Iranian naval activity in the Persian gulf.
