Key points
- Will never allow Tehran to acquire a nuclear weapon: Trump
- I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria: US president
- US and Saudi Arabia have signed weapons sales agreement worth nearly $142 billion
RIYADH: United States (US) President Donald Trump on Tuesday reiterated the claim that his administration had helped broker peace between India and Pakistan to avert a “potential nuclear war” between the two south Asian countries, which he said could have killed millions.
“I think they are actually getting along. Maybe we can even get them together a little bit, Marco [Rubio],” he said, while speaking about the two nuclear-armed neighbours at the Saudi-US Investment Forum in Riyadh.
“Where they [Pak-India] go out and have a nice dinner together,” the US president added. He said that he “used trade to a large extent” for the ceasefire.
“Let’s not trade nuclear missiles”
“And I said, fellas, come on, let’s make a deal. Let’s do some trading. Let’s not trade nuclear missiles. Let’s trade the things that you make so beautifully,” Trump said.
Donald Trump also announced that he will drop US sanctions against Syria, put in place during former President Bashar al-Assad’s rule.
“There is a new government that will hopefully succeed,” Trump said of Syria, adding, “I say good luck, Syria. Show us something special.”
“I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness,” Trump said.
$142bn in weapons sales agreement
The US and Saudi Arabia have signed an agreement that the Trump administration says will expand cooperation in areas such as security, technology and energy, including $142bn in weapons sales.
Trump, in his address, stressed that he will never allow Tehran to acquire a nuclear weapon. But the US president also says he is willing to “end past conflicts and forge new partnerships” with any party.
Trump said if Iran does not take the offer, he will exert maximum pressure and “drive Iranian oil exports to zero.”
