- Trump said Iran has ‘sort of’ agreed to a nuclear deal
- He spoke at US air base in Qatar before traveling to United Arab Emirates
- Abu Dhabi is the final leg of business deal-laden Middle East trip
President Donald Trump continued his Middle East tour Thursday in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
It’s the last leg of his four-day trip to the Middle East. Trump predicted Thursday his tour could bring the U.S. up to $4 trillion in deals.
He secured $600 billion in Saudi investments Tuesday, followed by aircraft and defense deals with Qatari leaders totaling more than $243 billion Wednesday, according to the White House.
A source familiar with negotiations confirmed to NewsNation that a proposal for a nuclear deal was presented to Iran during the fourth round of talks last weekend.
Trump said Thursday they are “maybe” getting close to a deal, adding Tehran has “sort of” agreed to the terms.
Trump has said Iran must choose between a nuclear weapon or facing “violence like people haven’t seen before.”
The president spoke to troops at Al Udeid Air Base on Thursday, touting a relationship between Qatar and the United States that he says has “never been stronger.”
“You will never see anything like the relationship we have,” Trump said at the facility, the largest U.S. military hub in the Middle East.
Qatar is expected to invest $10 billion in the base, Trump said Thursday.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also addressed troops about his vision for the military, which he said will be “stronger than ever before.”
Backlash has mounted after Qatar offered Trump a free Air Force One replacement — a Boeing 747 worth $400 million.
“I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer,” Trump told reporters Monday. “I could be a stupid person and say, ‘No, we don’t want a free, very expensive airplane.’”
Russia-Ukraine peace talks will begin in Turkey on Thursday, with Trump’s top diplomat, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, representing the administration.
Trump said Thursday he could visit “if something happened” during the negotiations.
“I was thinking about going, but it’s very tough because of what we’re doing today and tomorrow. But you know, if something happened, I’d go on Friday if it was appropriate,” Trump said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is attending the Istanbul meeting. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin has opted out of the ceasefire discussions, according to a delegation list released by the Kremlin on Wednesday.
-NewsNation
