There’s more to Donald Trump’s Middle East trip than billion-dollar contracts, parades of camels and a storm back home over Qatar’s offer to give the president a new Air Force One.

Trump is again diverging from U.S. presidential habit by choosing the Middle East, not Canada or Mexico, for the first foreign trip of his second term. He's hoping to do deals with three of the region's wealthiest countries.

Witkoff has embraced untraditional tactics and defied some conservatives as the administration seeks quick wins in the Middle East. Now his strategy is being put to the test.

President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday a $200 billion deal between Qatar Airways and Boeing, a lifeline for the beleaguered American aerospace giant and a powerful symbol of the diplomatic maneuvering defining his presidency.

Trump is again diverging from U.S. presidential habit by choosing the Middle East, not Canada or Mexico, for the first foreign trip of his second term. Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar are three of the world's richest nations and they invest deeply in military and security technologies.

US President Donald Trump voiced hope on Wednesday that diplomatic efforts would succeed on Iran's nuclear programme, even as he vowed rigorous enforcement of sanctions.