What’s at Stake in Trump’s Upcoming Gulf Summit – with Mike Singh & Nadav Eyal

26 snips

May 5, 2025

Guest

Nadav Eyal

Guest

Mike Singh

Mike Singh, former senior director for Middle East affairs, and Nadav Eyal, a prominent columnist, dive into the key takeaways from President Trump's impending summit in Saudi Arabia. They discuss arms deals, AI partnerships, and a monumental $600 billion investment pledge from Saudi Arabia. The conversation reveals the intricate geopolitical tensions between Israel, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, emphasizing the stakes of U.S. policy towards Iran's nuclear ambitions and the crucial coordination needed for regional stability.

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INSIGHT

Trump's Economic Focus in Middle East

President Trump's Middle East trip focuses on trade, investment, and Saudi capital inflows.
He avoids contentious issues like Gaza and Iran negotiations during the trip.

INSIGHT

Saudi-Israel Normalization Stalled

Saudi Arabia is currently drifting away from near-term normalization with Israel.
Trump seeks a visible win in the Saudi summit, with large investment announcements expected.

INSIGHT

Israeli Concerns on Iran Deal Impact

Israelis worry about U.S. concessions to Iran on uranium enrichment affecting Saudi civil nuclear ambitions.
Maintaining a firm U.S. stance on Iran's nuclear program is Israel's priority during Trump's trip.

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Today’s episode:

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Next week, President Trump is heading to Saudi Arabia to convene a summit with leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council—Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman. The agenda? Arms deals, AI partnerships, and a substantial Saudi investment pledge. Israel isn't on his itinerary, although Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has just announced that he will be traveling to Israel in advance of President Trump’s Middle East trip, and that Secretary Hegseth will be meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defense Minister Katz and Israel’s military leadership. He will then travel to Saudi Arabia to accompany President Trump on his travels.

The Middle East visit will also take place against the backdrop of an important personnel change on Trump’s national security team – namely, the national security advisor Mike Waltz stepping down and moving to the UN.

To unpack what's at stake for Israel and the US, we're joined by Mike Singh, former senior director for Middle East affairs at the National Security Council and now managing director at the Washington Institute, and Call me Back regular, Nadav Eyal, columnist for Yediot Ahronot.

CREDITS:

ILAN BENATAR - Producer & Editor

MARTIN HUERGO - Sound Editor

GABE SILVERSTEIN - Research

YUVAL SEMO - Music Composer