Has Trump brought peace to the Middle East?
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Did you know that foreign investors are quietly funding lawsuits in American courts through a practice called third-party litigation funding? Shadowy overseas funders are paying to sue American companies in our courts, and they don't pay a dime in U.S. taxes if there is an award or settlement. They profit tax-free from our legal system, while U.S. companies are tied up in court and American families pay the price to the tune of $5,000 a year. But

But there is a solution. A new proposal before Congress would close this loophole and ensure these foreign investors pay taxes, just like the actual plaintiffs have to.

It's a common sense move that discourages frivolous and abusive lawsuits and redirects resources back into American jobs, innovation and growth. Only President Trump and congressional Republicans can deliver this win for America and hold these foreign investors accountable. Contact your lawmakers today and demand they take a stand to end foreign funded litigation abuse.

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After so many decades of conflict, finally it is within our grasp to reach the future that generations before us could only dream about a land of peace right here in the Middle East.

We will measure our success not only by the battles we win, but also by the wars we end. The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip. We'll own it. Know that China is doing very poorly right now. I just saw some reports coming out, and I don't want that to happen to China. You're gambling with World War III. I was saved by God to make America great again. I'm Venetia Rainey, and this is Battle Lines, Trump edition. It's Friday, 18th of May, 2025.

This week, Donald Trump completed his first official trip abroad. A bling-filled tour of the Gulf's power states that was punctuated by lots and lots of his favourite things. Lucrative deals. Taking in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE, Trump's trip has so far yielded 600 billion in investment commitments from Riyadh and a 96 billion Boeing plane order from Doha. He also announced he would be lifting sanctions on Syria and that a deal with Iran is close.

It was a trip designed to focus on positive headlines, alliances and good vibes. A rare narrative in the Middle East these days. Here's him speaking at a US-Saudi investment summit in Riyadh. Exactly eight years ago this month, I stood in this very room and looked forward to a future in which the nations of this region would drive...

The forces of terrorism and extremism drive them right out of existence and take your place among the proudest, most prosperous, most successful nations anywhere in the world as leaders of a modern and rising Middle East. So exciting. Later in this episode, I'll be delving into all of that and the growing bromance between Trump and Saudi leader Mohammed bin Salman.

But first, there was something notably absent from his list of achievements. A solution to the intensifying conflict in Gaza and the fate of the remaining Israeli hostages there. There were hopes at the beginning of this week when the 21-year-old US Israeli Idan Alexander was suddenly released by Hamas, reportedly as a goodwill gesture to spur on ceasefire talks. But nothing more happened.

Trump did reference Alexander and Gaza in his speech at the Saudi Investment Forum. And we've been working tirelessly to bring back all hostages held by Hamas. We brought back a lot already, but we're bringing back more.

This weekend, we successfully negotiated the release of the last American hostage. Edan Alexander just came out a few hours ago, and we continue to work to get that war ended as quickly as possible. It's a horrible thing that's taking place. All civilized people must condemn the October 7th atrocities against Israel.

which would never have happened again if you had probably a different president, but definitely if you had me as president. The people of Gaza deserve a much better future, but that will or can not occur as long as their leaders choose to kidnap, torture, and target innocent men, women, and children for political ends. The way those people are treated in Gaza, there's not a place in the world where people are treated so badly. It's horrible.

It's a horrible thing that's taking place. Those are Trump's words to describe the ongoing Israeli war with Hamas, which was sparked by the terror organisation's horrendous October 7 attack. That attack killed around 1,200 people and led to 250 being taken hostage. 59 of those remain in Gaza, just over 20 of whom are believed to still be alive.

Israel's war since then has killed at least 50,000 people in Gaza. And that war will intensify in the coming weeks, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu set to launch Operation Gideon's Chariot, a plan for the army to take over the entire Gaza Strip and move the remaining population south, or even abroad if possible. Gazans are on the brink. A UN-backed assessment released on Monday found the entire population, around 2.1 million people, is at critical risk of famine.

Since the beginning of March, no food, water, medicine, fuel, tents or any other aid has been allowed in. Aid agencies have said this blockade could be a war crime and amounts to a policy of starvation. And meanwhile, the bombs continue to fall. Dozens of civilians have been killed this week alone, many in strikes on two hospitals. Tom Fletcher, the UN's humanitarian chief and a former British diplomat, made an impassioned speech to the UN Security Council this week.

Before starting, I ask you to reflect for a moment on what action we will tell future generations we each took to stop the 21st century atrocity to which we bear daily witness in Gaza. It is a question we will hear sometimes incredulous, sometimes furious, but always there for the rest of our lives. We will surely all claim to have been against it. Maybe we will say we issued a statement.

Or that we trusted that private pressure might work despite so much evidence to the contrary. Or pretend that we thought a more brutal military offensive had more chance of bringing the hostages home than the negotiations which brought so many hostages home. Maybe some will recall that in a transactional world we had other priorities. Or maybe we will use those empty words: "We did all we could."

So what is the reality on the ground? I'm joined now by Jonathan Cricks, Chief of Communication for UNICEF in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Jonathan, welcome to Battlelines. Can you start by telling me, where are you now?

So I'm currently in Jerusalem and I got back. I exited Gaza on Tuesday. I was there for a bit more than a week. And did you travel around the whole strip? No, I was actually, for the purpose of this mission, because it was relatively short in time, I focused on...

the middle area, Khan Yunis Dehr al-Bala al-Mawassi. So tell me what you saw. There is a lot to talk about. The situation there is a complete catastrophe. The first day I went to a hospital where I met children affected by malnutrition. And when we're talking about malnutrition in this case, I met with 10 children who were affected by severe acute malnutrition. It

This means that clearly their days are in danger. I met with a little girl, a baby, five months old. So she really has only the skin on her bone and what she needs and what is not available is ready-to-use therapeutic food, ready-to-use infant formula for her to gain weight. But those supplies...

We are running out of them. And there are many children in her situation. I also met with injured children who have been hit by strikes. I met with a young girl, 11-year-old, Misk. And Misk, these are difficult encounters, I must say, because her body is burned. When I met with her, she had just learned a few hours before that her entire family was

had been killed in the strike that injured her, except for her little sister. Very difficult to be there and to see. And when you go in the streets and you see the market shelves empty, you can still find a little bit of food, but at extremely high prices. So that most of the families cannot afford it.

And we'll get more on to the details of what food is available. I'm really interested to hear that from you, but I'm glad you brought up baby Siwa Ashur. She's been in the news a lot here in the UK this week. The BBC did a big report on her and

Her 23-year-old mother, Najwa Aram, who gave birth in one surviving room of a house that was otherwise destroyed, in which she's sharing with 11 other people. Siwa weighs just over two kilograms, according to the BBC. A baby girl of five months should weigh around six kilograms. Her mother's been struggling to breastfeed her because she was born so weak and she needs special formula milk, as you mentioned. The haunting images that we've been seeing from the BBC this week

As you mentioned, unmistakable signs of starvation, a head too big for her body, stick-like arms and legs, no energy even to cry, and these large brown eyes. It's really hard, hard to watch. It's a heartbreaking story. Israel has dismissed her story as a political PR tool for Hamas. They say there's enough aid in Gaza and have accused Hamas of stealing it. Is that true?

I mean, you know, I don't do politics. I'm a humanitarian. And what I want to say here is that what she needs is a very specific therapeutic food. It's not something that I would see any armed group actually consuming. I mean, we're talking about ready-to-use infant formula, very small quantities. These kind of supplies, like...

Any form of supplies, nothing has entered in the Gaza Strip for more than 10 weeks now. There are many needs, like, for example, vaccines. The vaccines could also enter and protect children. Incubators for premature babies. We know that there are many...

which are being born premature because of the hard living conditions and the stress that the mothers are going through with the intensity of the bombardments, etc. So we really think that we have here some supplies that definitely could enter to save the lives of children and babies like Siwa. You mentioned the blockade that's been going on for 10 weeks now since the beginning of March. Yes.

And nothing has been allowed in, right? You mentioned vaccines, no medicine, no water, no fuel, no aid. Nothing, not a single package of humanitarian aid entered in the past 10 weeks. So what's left in Gaza? How are people feeding themselves? We hear reports about

bakeries haven't been shut because all the flour and fuel is gone. I know the World Food Programme and UNRWA, all their stores are empty. Food prices have rocketed by as much as 1,400%, obviously completely unaffordable for the average Gazan. People are living on one meal a day. What is this one meal and where are they getting it from? What does it actually look like? I actually met with children who were digging in a

a pile of garbage and they were looking for a little bit of food or paper. And one of the aspects that I really noted is that

I went to a market on Monday and you can still find a little bit of food, but the prices are so high. I mean, it's 70 euros for five kilos of potatoes.

It's 50 euros for five kilos of tomatoes. A bag of diaper, because we also have to think about hygiene, which is an extremely dire situation there. A bag of 24 diapers, we ask, is like around 100 euros. So, of course, most of the families, and of course, especially the most vulnerable families, they don't have access to, they cannot afford that.

Among the children we were digging, they had been displaced several times. And we were asking, are your parents working? And they were just saying that there is no work. Everything has been destroyed and the economy is on its knees, obviously.

the overall situation, uh, as highlighted by that report from the beginning of the week is indicating that we are in a situation where if nothing is done, uh, uh, we're going to see children dying, uh, from, from, from malnutrition and, or a combined effect because, you know, malnutrition should not be seen in independently. It's also the lack of access to water. The fact that, uh, uh,

you're living in a makeshift tent, exposed to the different weather, too hot or too cold in the winter, that there are rodents, rats everywhere. You know, the children I meet with, most of them are barefoot. They have rashes on their skin. They have black teeth. There is not enough soap. This is the overall context, which is definitely going to lead to children dying from that. Yeah.

What can you tell us about the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, this US-backed aid organization that's been established by Israel to distribute aid in the coming months?

Well, I mean, I can tell you only about what I have seen in news reports because, and I don't know, perhaps you have seen a detailed plan in writing, but I personally have seen only things that are reported in newspapers or in the media. From what I read,

We are talking about a certain number of hubs, five hubs, which will be placed in the south of the Gaza Strip and where there will be security provided by a military presence.

And clearly, this is bringing a lot of questions. One of the questions is the question of access. How is a mother with four children, let's imagine a mother whose husband is dead, and she has four children, how is that mother going to go walking several kilometers to reach a hub,

And to collect, I read that the packages would be 20 to 25 kilos with her four children. So there is a question of access and of equity here. There is also the question about orphans.

How are orphans going to access that? How are people or children with disabilities? I mean, there is so many question marks. And you know, the way UNICEF operates on the ground, it's very clear because, you know, it's exactly the same way as we operate everywhere in the world.

We are bringing humanitarian aid. For example, for the moment, we are bringing water via water trucking. So water that is produced in a desalination plant in Gaza. And we're bringing that water to the communities, to the people in need, wherever they are, with very robust monitoring mechanisms.

So we can actually see, you know, the people who are receiving that. But what is absolutely key, and that's one of the humanitarian principles, is to always go to the people where they are, you know, to distribute the humanitarian aid to the people where they live. And it's for all humanitarian workers, one of the key points is that humanitarian aid should never be used as an incentive to move people.

And that's, again, the way we operate everywhere. Then there are questions of security. I imagine a 14 or a 15-year-old boy going to one of those hubs and seeing all the soldiers, et cetera. We are very concerned about the security. And overall, the United Nations Secretary General has been very clear that everywhere in the world, the UN and humanitarian actors are abiding by a certain set of principles.

neutrality impartiality and those principles must be must be respected

What's it like to be a child in Gaza today? You're speaking on behalf of UNICEF, the UN's children's charity. What is childhood in Gaza today? Every child I meet is always a story of loss and grief. And last time I went to the Gaza Strip was in February, and it was during the ceasefire. I met with a young little girl. She's five years old, and her name is Anine.

I met with her because UNICEF was distributing child wheelchairs. We were distributing one to her because in a strike, she lost her two legs, which were amputated. And she also lost her mother. And her father, at the time, was still in surgery following that strike. And

You know, when the ceasefire collapsed and bombs started falling in Gaza again, I was just trying to

imagine what was happening in Hanin's head when she was hearing the intensity, the blast, the bombardments. And, you know, how traumatizing that must be, you know? And we estimate, UNICEF estimates, that almost all children in the Gaza Strip, we're talking about 1.1 million children. Let's just think about that number.

All children in the Gaza Strip are in need of mental health and psychosocial support. We have been delivering that kind of support in 2024 to more than 300,000 children, but it's not enough. I personally believe that the first support that can be provided to those traumatized children is to stop the bomb from falling down.

It doesn't seem like that's going to happen. Israel is talking quite clearly and openly about an expanded military operation, Gideon's Chariot. There were hopes that Trump, Donald Trump, would be able to use his leverage, use American leverage to put some kind of end to the conflict. But I think by the end of his trip to the Middle East this week, it doesn't look likely that that's going to happen. What do you hope can realistically happen next to change things for children in Gaza?

We all have seen the wonderful news on Monday, the release of Ida and Alexander. What is absolutely critical is that all hostages are reunited with their families and that a ceasefire is reinstated. There was an agreement which was pushed by the Trump administration at the beginning of this year

which was including phases with release of all hostages and then a stabilization time with a long-lasting ceasefire and humanitarian aid entering at scale. I think that the entire international community must keep this on top of the agenda. I think that this is absolutely critical because I've been discussing with many people about my trip

in the Gaza Strip and how I held in my arms an injured child who was hit in a strike. And if anyone would be there next to me, the only thing you would want to do is to also hold that two-year-old

little girl. I think that as part of our humanity, I think that we have, all of us have a duty to push for the release of all hostages, for a ceasefire, for a long lasting solution. And that not only for the

the children of Gaza, but for all the children in the region. I live in Jerusalem. Every child in the region is deeply affected by what is currently happening. Jonathan Cricks, Chief of Communication at UNICEF in Palestine. Thank you very much for joining us on Battlelines. Coming up after the break, Trump's whirlwind tour of the Gulf and his bromance with Mohammed bin Salman.

Did you know that foreign investors are quietly funding lawsuits in American courts through a practice called third-party litigation funding? Shadowy overseas funders are paying to sue American companies in our courts, and they don't pay a dime in U.S. taxes if there is an award or settlement. They profit tax-free from our legal system, while U.S. companies are tied up in court and American families pay the price to the tune of $5,000 a year.

But there is a solution. A new proposal before Congress would close this loophole and ensure these foreign investors pay taxes, just like the actual plaintiffs have to.

It's a common sense move that discourages frivolous and abusive lawsuits and redirects resources back into American jobs, innovation, and growth. Only President Trump and congressional Republicans can deliver this win for America and hold these foreign investors accountable. Contact your lawmakers today and demand they take a stand to end foreign-funded litigation abuse.

Welcome back. The biggest defence deal in history, a free luxury jet that could be one of the most valuable gifts ever given to the US, and the first meeting between an American and Syrian president in decades. As ever, Trump does not do things by halves.

His four-day trip to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE has been marked by a series of announcements reportedly worth over a trillion dollars, mainly aimed at enriching America and American businesses, including the Trump Organization. But with the notable exception of Israel and Gaza, the bridges he has been building in the Middle East during these first months of his second term also have the potential to bring an unprecedented level of cooperation and peace to the region.

And Trump did not shy away from saying as much at the US-Saudi Investment Summit in Riyadh. Before our eyes, a new generation of leaders is transcending the ancient conflicts of tired divisions of the past and forging a future where the Middle East is defined by commerce, not chaos, where it exports technology, not terrorism, and where people of different nations, religions and creeds are building cities together to

not bombing each other out of existence. We don't want that. Saudi Arabia has been the focus of the trip, with $600 billion of investment pledged, give or take a few hundred billion dollars, according to fact-checkers in the US such as Axios. It's also thrown a spotlight on the close relationship between Trump and Saudi leader Mohammed bin Salman.

To help me unpack it all, I'm joined now by Dr. Najah Al-Otaibi, a Saudi policy analyst and journalist based in London. Najah, could you just start by painting a picture for us about the significance of this trip? Well, I thought the US president's visit was a huge success. It was his first visit in his second term, and it meant so much for the leaders in the Gulf and for the people.

Trump has managed to grab significant contracts, both economic and defense ones, which will boost the American industries and U.S. firms and will create jobs for many, many years.

I thought everybody in the Gulf loved Trump. He was honest. He was funny. The people in the media, the people in media actually, all were so pleased to see that Americans are now back to the Middle East.

And I thought this time Americans back wiser, fair, more knowledgeable about the Middle East. And I was really impressed by Trump's speech about how the West should understand that this is not the old Middle East anymore.

which needs to be told how to run their countries and their societies. It was indeed a powerful speech, and I think it has touched many people out there. One of the things that was announced during this trip was a defence deal with Saudi Arabia that's being touted as the biggest ever. The Saudis agreed to buy nearly $142 billion in military equipment and services from US defence contractors, nearly double the kingdom's entire 2025 defence budget.

Najat, do we know any more details about what that will buy them? So what we have read so far, not many details about the nature of these deals. I understand that involved some training for the forces, defence academics, sophisticated war fighters,

Interestingly, when Trump first visited the Gulf back in 2017, business and investment deals were in billion dollars. But this time, the value of the deals are in trillions. The UAE, for example, offered to invest in the U.S. over the next 10 years.

The value of that contract is more than one trillion. And the one you mentioned, it's one of the largest defense agreements in the history of the U.S.-Saudi relations, also involved defense. But they haven't said much about the details, not even the Saudi media details.

talked about it, but it's all more in defense and security. I want to pick out a few things from Trump's speech at the Riyadh Investment Summit that I think are really significant from a geopolitical perspective. He mentioned his fervent hope that Saudi Arabia would join the Abraham Accords, which normalize relations with Israel, but that the country would do it in its own time. What do you think?

Will that ever happen, do you think? Is there any appetite in Saudi Arabia for normalising relations with Israel? Well, I was really surprised to see that Israel normalisation with Saudi countries

was quite absent from the discussion, apart from the speech you've mentioned. And this is really odd because during Trump's first term, when he visited the Gulf, he managed to be the broker of the Abraham Accords between Israel and several Arab countries, including the UAE.

However, Trump said in his current visits that while a normalization between Saudi and Israel would be a dream, but I want Riyadh to do it on their own time. In my view, this is a huge shift from Biden's policy that prioritized formal Saudi-Israeli ties.

I have many Saudi friends who are journalists, and they have, many of them, they have expressed frustration with the Israeli military actions across the region, and especially in Gaza. They believe that Saudi Arabia cannot find a partner from the Israeli side to negotiate with.

And the only option right now is to keep normalization off the table. And it seems this is the position of Trump. He doesn't think it's the right time, unfortunately. I'm saying unfortunately, because I believe there is an opportunity and a positive opportunity and a chance that a Saudi alliance with Israel, you know, would create some sort of peace in the Middle East.

Both countries share the same concerns and the same views, prosperity, stability, no wars. But unfortunately, these two countries cannot have diplomatic relations.

That's really interesting. So you see them as natural bedfellows in a lot of ways, Saudi Arabia and Israel, but because of the Palestinian issue, it's not likely to help restore relations anytime soon. Yes, and the Saudi position on this regard is clear. There's no normalization without a two-state solution. But the current Israeli government doesn't seem flexible about it.

doesn't even want to provide any roadmap to a two-state solution. So it's not going to be very easy. Trump also mentioned Iran. He vowed that if Tehran rejects the olive branch presented by Washington during talks at the moment, that the U.S. will have no choice but to apply maximum pressure. They must decide now. We've heard further hints since that speech in Riyadh that a deal might be imminent. Trump says that Iran has sort of agreed to U.S. terms.

We've spoken a lot on this podcast about the Iran nuclear talks, but I'd be really interested to hear a Saudi perspective on them, particularly given the huge shifts underway in that relationship between Iran and Saudi Arabia. They were sworn enemies just a few years ago, but things are much warmer now, aren't they? And Saudi Arabia wants this deal to be struck with Iran. Can you explain that change for us a bit? Yes. Saudi and Iran have recently pursued a re-approachment.

following the return of their diplomatic relations in 2023. Clearly, neither Saudi or the U.S. want to have any wars with Iran. The Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs, Faisal bin Farhan, said he supports any negotiations

U.S.-Iran nuclear talks. And of course, we understand that there will be a talk very soon in Rome. Trump also mentioned in his trip that it's possible for him to offer Iran a deal that obviously will curtail their nuclear program in exchange of easing the economic sanctions on them.

But it's down to Iran to choose. And, you know, they got to stop their interferences and destruction in the region. And, you know,

build trust with the Gulf states to be really taken seriously. So all in all, look quite positive. Another positive development is that Trump mentioned that the US is now planning to lift sanctions on Syria. And there was that extraordinary picture of Trump shaking hands with the new Syrian president, Ahmad al-Sharra. And we have Mohammed bin Salman in the corner smiling and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on speakerphone in the middle.

Ahmed al-Sharra, this former jihadi who had a bounty on his head before renouncing terrorism and then overthrowing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad late last year. It's an incredible change of fortune for Syria. I just want to play a clip quickly from Reuters of Trump talking about al-Sharra on board Air Force One. How did you find the Syrian president? Great. Very good. Young, attractive guy. Tough guy. You know, strong bass.

Very strong man. Spider. Does that worry you at all? He's got a real shot at pulling it together. I spoke with President Erdogan, who I'm very friendly with him.

He feels he's got a shot at doing a good job. Najah, lifting sanctions is something that Saudi Arabia and Turkey have been pushing for. And obviously it's going to be a complicated and long process, but this has the potential to be region changing, right? Yes, indeed. I thought the highlight of this trip actually was lifting the sanctions on Syria, which the Saudi crown prince pushed for.

I think this move will pave the way for future stability. It will give the Syrian people new opportunities, new hope to construct their economy, their country and contribute to this world. It will also stop immigration, the flood of immigration across the world. And I think it was a great gesture by the Crown Prince to arrange such a

visit such a meeting between Trump and Ahmad al-Sharif. I think it was fascinating to see this development. Yeah, I guess it really shows the power of this relationship between Mohammed bin Salman, MBS, I'll call him from here on, and Trump. And the two really seem to get on, don't they? This is a clip of Trump talking about MBS. And if I didn't like him, I'd get out of here so fast.

You know that, don't you? He knows me well. I do. I like him a lot. I like him too much. That's why we give so much, you know? Too much. I like you too much.

Najah, can you tell us a bit more about the history of MBS and Trump's friendship and where this level of affection and bonhomie seems to come from? Well, Saudi Arabia and the US have special relationship for many, many years, both on political level and on social level. I grew up in Saudi Arabia.

watching Sesame Street as a child, Oprah Winfrey as a teenager. My dad had all kinds of US cars, Cadillac, Capri's, all kinds, you name it. We love America, as I said, because we know America. Americans make effort to engage with the world in a way that no other country does.

And you can see this is in the way Trump spoke warmly and highly about his highness, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. They joked with each other. They discussed business.

It was such a beautiful thing to see between politicians. It's fascinating because I think from a British perspective, Trump's trip this week has really completed the rehabilitation of Saudi Arabia's reputation on the global stage. There was a real nadir around 2018, the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in an Istanbul embassy, which was widely considered to have been done at Mohammed bin Salman's order and led to relations between Riyadh and the West really deteriorating significantly. Trump

always stood by MBS. And in these last few months, as Trump has tried to solve the world's wars, Riyadh has moved into this major role, hosting talks between Ukraine and Russia and on Gaza. I'm wondering how much credit you think Trump should get for MBS's transformation from international pariah to peacemaker? Well, Saudis have always been a peacemaker, a generous donor, mediator between conflicted countries.

However, in the last few years, we have seen their priorities shifting slightly to focus on their internal reform under Vision 2030, where they seek to diversify their economy away from oil and develop new industries. I think now they see themselves in a position to re-engage with the world

as no other country could replace them. I can't think of any country that can replace the position and the influence of Saudi Arabia, which it has even on great power states like America. In terms of the horrific incident of Jamal Khashoggi, I think Saudi Arabia has moved on from that incident.

I think Saudis as well are content with how the courts handled the situation, as I understand that people who have been involved in this case been handed very tough penalties. Many Saudi officials also mentioned in a number of occasions that a lesson has been learned

And the focus now should be on strengthening transparency and accountability and social justice.

Are there any other takeaways from Trump's trip this week that you want to share with us? Yes. I thought it was fascinating, in fact, to see that every Gulf country seemed to have got all what they wanted from this trip. As you probably know, the Gulf states are constantly worried about security. And this is because they are

the only stable functioning countries among conflicted region where the Iranian missiles and sectarian forces are controlling. Most of the deals that been made between the Gulf and the US focused mainly on security and defense.

beside others in the field of energy, technology and artificial intelligence. Interestingly, when Trump first visited the region back in 2017,

Businesses, business and investment deals were in billion dollars. But this time, the value of the deals which were made were in trillions. Thank you so much. That was Dr. Najah Al-Otaibi, a Saudi policy analyst and journalist based in London. That's all for today's episode of Battlelines. We'll be back again on Monday with Roland Oliphant in the chair. Until then, goodbye.

Battlelines is an original podcast from The Telegraph created by David Knowles and hosted by me, Venetia Rainey and Roland Oliphant. If you appreciated this podcast, please consider following Battlelines on your preferred podcast app. And if you have a moment, leave a review as it really helps others find the show.

To stay on top of all of our news, subscribe to The Telegraph, sign up to our Dispatches newsletter, or listen to our sister podcast, Ukraine The Latest. You can get in touch directly by emailing battlelines at telegraph.co.uk or contact us on X. You can find our handles in the show notes. The producer is Peter Shevlin. The executive producer is Louisa Wells.

Did you know that foreign investors are quietly funding lawsuits in American courts through a practice called third-party litigation funding? Shadowy overseas funders are paying to sue American companies in our courts, and they don't pay a dime in U.S. taxes if there is an award or settlement. They profit tax-free from our legal system, while U.S. companies are tied up in court and American families pay the price to the tune of $5,000 a year. But

But there is a solution. A new proposal before Congress would close this loophole and ensure these foreign investors pay taxes, just like the actual plaintiffs have to.

It's a common sense move that discourages frivolous and abusive lawsuits and redirects resources back into American jobs, innovation, and growth. Only President Trump and congressional Republicans can deliver this win for America and hold these foreign investors accountable. Contact your lawmakers today and demand they take a stand to end foreign-funded litigation abuse.