The summit in Riyadh was attended by leaders from the GCC during U.S. President’s first stop of the Middle East visit.

U.S. President Donald Trump praised the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders for their efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, while also laying out conditions for a potential deal with Iran, at the GCC-U.S. Summit held in Saudi Arabia earlier on Wednesday.

“I greatly appreciate the constructive role that the leaders in this room have played in trying to bring the terrible conflict to an end,” Trump said in his summit address.

Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and leaders from across the GCC nations had flown to Riyadh earlier on Wednesday for the meeting. Sheikh Tamim also met Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the sidelines.

Trump arrived in Qatar shortly after the summit for the second leg of his trip and will leave for the UAE before wrapping up on May 16.

In addition to Trump, Crown Prince MbS, Kuwait’s Amir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, and Bahrain’s King Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa addressed the meeting, unanimously vouching for regional stability by guaranteeing Palestinian rights.

The ceasefire in Gaza was touted to be a key talking point in Trump’s voyage across the Middle East, which Trump said would happen with the release of the hostages.

“Ultimately, all hostages of all nationalities have to be released. And I think it’s going to happen,” he said. “My administration shares my hope for future of safety and dignity for the Palestinian people.”

In a rare occurrence, the U.S. recently held direct talks with Hamas over the release of Israeli-American dual national Edan Alexander.

Hamas said Alexander’s release on Monday ahead of the U.S. President’s Middle East visit was a “part of efforts to resume the ceasefire with Israel and the entry of relief supplies into the Gaza Strip”.

Israel resumed its genocidal war in the Gaza Strip in March, breaking the ceasefire deal that had been brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States on January 15.

Israel has since continued its deadly strikes, simultaneously continuing its total blockade on the besieged strip.

Crown Prince MbS, in his opening and closing addresses, urged everyone to push for a permanent solution, calling the U.S. a “main partner” for the Gulf states.

“We seek, with you Mr President, and with our brothers in the GCC to de-escalate the conflict in the region and ending the war in Gaza and finding a comprehensive and permanent solution to the Palestinian issue in line with the Arab peace initiative,” he added.

Conditional Iran deal and normalisation with Syria

After vowing to relax the U.S. sanctions imposed on Syria, Trump also floated the idea of normalising relations with Iran, setting out conditions if a deal is to be reached.

“I want to do something if it’s possible, but for that to happen, Iran should stop sponsoring terror, halt its bloody proxy wars and permanently and verifiably cease its pursuit of nuclear weapons,” Trump said.

Trump met Syrian interim leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa ahead of the summit on Wednesday, in the presence of the Saudi Crown Prince. Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan joined the meeting via phone call.

During his speech at the summit, the U.S. President said his administration is “exploring” ways to normalise ties with Syria following the ousting of Bashar Al-Assad. The U.S. is also looking at Lebanon with hopes of building a peaceful future, Trump said, accusing previous administration for “creating havoc” in the region.

“The whole world is watching the Middle East and many are watching with envy. Incredible opportunities, if we can only stop the aggression from a small group of bad actors.”