Trump Secures Historic $600 Billion Saudi Deal Covering Energy, Defence, And Investment

President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday (May 13, 2025) that the U.S. will lift long-standing sanctions on Syria, and secured a $600 billion commitment from Saudi Arabia to invest in the United States on a trip to the Gulf.

The U.S. agreed to sell Saudi Arabia an arms package worth nearly $142 billion, according to the White House which called it "the largest defence cooperation agreement" Washington has ever done. The surprise announcement about sanctions on Syria would be a huge boost for a country that has been shattered by more than a decade of civil war. Rebels led by current President Ahmed al-Sharaa toppled President Bashar al-Assad last December.

Speaking in Riyadh, Mr. Trump said he was acting on a request to scrap the sanctions by Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Prince Mohammed bin Salman.