US President Donald Trump signed a host of economic and bilateral co-operation agreements in Saudi Arabia today, kicking off a four-day Middle East trip.

The countries’ positions on Iran’s nuclear ambitions and Israel’s invasion of Gaza were largely set aside, as the visit focused on economic diplomacy.

Mr Trump was warmly welcomed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto ruler, on arrival at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. 

“I really believe we like each other a lot,” Mr Trump said during a brief appearance with the crown prince, notorious for the 2018 murder and dismemberment of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, before a bilateral meeting.

The two leaders later signed more than a dozen agreements to bolster cooperation between their countries’ militaries, justice departments and cultural institutions. 

Deals also spanned energy, mining, and defence as well as space exploration.

Additional agreements were expected to be announced later today at a US-Saudi investment forum convened to coincide with the visit. 

Prince Mohammed has already pledged around $600 billion in new Saudi investment in the US, but Mr Trump teased $1 trillion would be even better.

Saudi Arabia was chosen as the first stop of the trip due to its substantial investment commitments, although Mr Trump did travel to Italy last month to attend Pope Francis’s funeral. 

Riyadh was also the destination of his first overseas visit during his first presidential term.

The president’s itinerary also includes Qatar and the United Arab Emirates — countries where the Trump Organisation, managed by his two eldest sons, is developing major real estate projects. 

These include a high-rise tower in Jeddah, a luxury hotel in Dubai, and a golf and villa complex in Qatar.

Earlier in the day, Mr Trump and Crown Prince Mohammed spent about an hour greeting US and Saudi officials as well as business leaders, including executives from Google, Nvidia, Amazon, OpenAI, Tesla, and Boeing.

The US administration is also expected to announce agreements with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE covering artificial intelligence, energy co-operation, and potentially new arms sales. 

The US recently gave preliminary approval for the $3.5 billion sale of air-to-air missiles to Saudi Arabia’s air force.