Today has been another full day on US President Donald Trump's tour of the Middle East.

It began in Riyadh with Trump saying he wanted to make a deal with Iran, before meeting the new leader of Syria Ahmed al-Sharaa. A short flight on Air Force One then whisked him over to Doha where he signed financial and arms deals worth billions of dollars with the Emir of Qatar.

Tomorrow's exact plans remain up in the air, but on Friday, he is due to visit Abu Dhabi.

For now, he is busy dining with Gulf royalty - and a range of US business leaders - at glittering state banquet at Doha’s Lusail Palace, and that is where we will end our coverage for today.

For more on this story, be sure to check out:

• Trump's meeting with Sharaa, unthinkable just months ago, boosts Syrians' hopes
• Trump touts 'record' Boeing-Qatar Airways deal
• Watch: Trump praises 'young, attractive' Syrian president

Today marked the second day of Donald Trump's four-day Middle East tour.

The US president says he may travel to Turkey tomorrow for Ukraine-Russia peace talks - but this is still unconfirmed. He told reporters he is willing to head to Turkey if his counterpart Vladimir Putin also travels there.

He'll then be in Abu Dhabi on Friday for the final leg of his visit to the Middle East.

Image source, Reuters

It's been another busy day of lavish ceremonies and deal signing for US President Donald Trump, who is on a whistle-stop Middle East tour.

• Trump's day started in Saudi Arabia, where he had a historic meeting with Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, who he described as an "attractive, tough guy"
• During their meeting, he told Sharaa that "he has a tremendous opportunity to do something historic in his country", urging him to normalise relations with Israel
• It comes after yesterday, when Trump announced that he would lift sanctions on Syria to give the country "a chance at greatness"

• The president's next stop was Doha, where he was greeted by Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on a red carpet
• The pair held talks before announcing several deals, including a "record" order for planes from Boeing
• The White House says the deals could generate $1.2tn
• Trump capped the day with a state dinner at the Lusail Palace, where he was seen greeting various people at the entrance alongside the Qatari Emir

Image source, Reuters

Elon Musk - who is joining the president for the first two legs of this Middle East tour - has also just met the two leaders at the palace doors. Musk and Trump shared an elaborate handshake, followed by a friendly laugh.

We can see that the queue to be greeted at the door is nearing its end, after which Trump and the Qatari Emir will join the attendees inside.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

We've just seen Trump greeting Kelly Ortberg, the CEO of American manufacturing giant Boeing.

As a reminder, the president announced earlier that Qatar had agreed to what he called the "largest order of jets" in Boeing's history.

The White House says Qatar Airways will spend $96bn on some 210 Boeing jets.

Image source, Reuters

As we've been reporting, Trump and the Qatari Emir have been welcoming various people at the Lusail Palace, ahead of a lavish state dinner.

It seems the leaders could be there for a while - an enormous queue has formed outside the palace doors, with people eager to meet the pair.

And the leaders are not just doing quick handshakes with those waiting in line, they also seem to be engaging in chit-chat from what we can see.

Image source, Reuters

The two leaders are still greeting a long line of guests ahead of the state dinner.

Trump is taking the time to speak to several of them individually.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Trump and the Qatari Emir greet a number of people at the Lusail Palace doors, ahead of the state dinner.

The leaders are all smiles as they welcome various people, who are moving along in a line.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Having earlier held talks with the Emir of Qatar and announced a number of deals with the Gulf nation, President Trump will now spend the evening attending a state dinner.

We've just seen a procession towards the Lusail Palace and Trump's car pulling up to the building.

He's greeted by Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Outside the palace, there is singing accompanied by drums.

Image source, HANDOUT

Yesterday we reported on joyous street celebrations in Syria after Donald Trump said wide-ranging sanctions against the country would be dropped.

The hope the move has inspired among Syrians was also apparent when the BBC World Service's OS spoke to those working in the hospitality and tourism sector today.

Lauren, general manager of the Al Mamluka Hotel Group in Damascus said she now felt there was now "light at the end of the tunnel" and was "hopeful for the future".

"The celebrations filled the street," she said adding there was "gunfire and fireworks up until late hours in Damascus, it was fantastic the atmosphere here".

Rita, a tour guide living in Damascus, said: "We were with tourists in a different city when we heard. We were so happy. I didn’t believe it so I asked someone to double check that the sanctions would really be over for Syrians."

Abdulhai, owner of the Dar Halabia Hotel in Aleppo, said he was "very happy and very glad" to hear that the sanctions are being lifted and that people "celebrated in restaurants and inside" due to the rain last night. He stressed, however, that Syrians still needed "to wait until it will be realised completely".

Details of Saudi-US investment deal fall short of $600bn figurepublished at 17:45 British Summer Time 14 May

17:45 BST 14 May

By Jake Horton

The Trump administration announced a $600bn (£453bn) "commitment to invest in the United States" from Saudi Arabia yesterday – but the details of the deal remain scant.

The White House published a document, external on the investment which listed some of the individual deals, which add up to $282.2 – about half the headline figure.

The document says these are "just a few of the many transformative deals".

A previous arms deal agreed during Trump's first term in 2017 between Saudi Arabia and the US also promised a big headline figure.

At the time, the White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said the deal included "an immediate $110 billion investment" which would "grow to $350 billion over the next 10 years".

By October 2018, Saudi Arabia had purchased $14.5bn of arms from the US, according to a Pentagon official., external

Image source, Reuters

It's the second day of Trump's four-day tour of Gulf countries, and a lot has already happened.

As a reminder, during his Riyadh visit yesterday, the US and Saudi Arabia announced a $142bn (£107bn) arms deal, as well as other investments the country's Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman said could eventually be worth $1tn.

Trump also pledged to lift all sanctions against Syria, and this morning met Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, whom he called an "attractive guy, tough guy".

After joining a summit with the leaders of Gulf countries this morning, in which Trump said he wanted to make a deal with Iran, Trump boarded Air Force One to Qatar.

During a brief media briefing with the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, this afternoon, the pair agreed on a statement of intent on defence cooperation between the US and Qatar.

Business deals were also on the table, with Qatar agreeing to buy drones and a what Trump called a "record" order of Boeing planes.

There's still more to come, with Trump scheduled to attend a state dinner in Doha this evening. He will also visit the UAE on Friday.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

We've not yet heard directly heard yet from President Trump on how he believes the visit to Qatar turned out - but the White House clearly views this as a victory in line with Trump's broader agenda.

In briefings, press gaggles and Trump's own words, I've heard officials from this administration repeatedly point to foreign investment as a sign of success that Trump's economic strategy is working, despite any concerns that Americans may have over tariffs.

With that in mind, news of a $1.2tr economic exchange between the two is likely to be seized upon by the president's backers to show that American firms - such as Boeing, Raytheon and General Atomics - and, by extension, American jobs, are benefitting from the administration.

One of the primary reasons for this trip, after all, is economic, even if other topics have come up.

Democrats, for their part, have been much more cautious and critical of the US economic ties with Qatar, particularly after the news emerged of Trump's plan to receive a luxury jumbo jet from the Gulf country.

One Democratic lawmaker, New York representative Richie Torres, went as far as to say that "Qatar is not a neutral party on the world stage".

"It has a deeply troubling history of financing a barbaric terrorist organization that has the blood of Americans on its hands," he added.

The White House has released an ebullient fact sheet, external setting out some of the key elements of the deals signed by President Trump on his visit to Qatar.

Washington claims that the agreements "generate an economic exchange worth at least $1.2 trillion" (£900bn), with deals between the two nations exceeding $243.5bn.

The largest individual deal is a $96bn order for up to 210 Boeing aircraft by Qatar Airways, which the White House says will support one million jobs in the US.

There were also deals for companies such as tech firm Parsons - at $97bn, and energy engineering company McDermott securing a contract worth $8.5bn.

The document also detailed an "acceleration" in Qatar's defence investment in the US, with deals for the acquisition of both General Atomics drones and a Raytheon counter-drone system.

Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent

Image source, Reuters

The Qatari government has become a central player in American diplomatic efforts in the Middle East. It has served as a key intermediary in negotiations between the US and Hamas during the Gaza War.

Qatar also has ties with Iran – which American officials see as both an opportunity for back-channel communications with Tehran and a cause for concern.

And in 2020 the Qatari government brokered the agreement between the first Trump administration and the Taliban, setting up the American withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The president’s decision to visit Doha could be viewed as an acknowledgement of the pivotal role Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani serves for the US. But, as often is the case with Trump, there’s more to it than that.

Trump's business empire has its own personal dealings with Qatar, including recently announced plans for a luxury golf resort north of Doha. Trump’s pick as his attorney general, Pam Bondi, was a registered foreign lobbyist for the Qatari government.

And then there are the recent reports of negotiations over a proposed Qatari "gift" to the US of a $400m (£303m) luxury plane that Trump could use as his Air Force One transport – raising a host of legal, ethical and security concerns.

It all makes for an abundance of potentially explosive issues and entanglements packed into Trump's one-night stop in this small, but incredibly wealthy, Arab nation.

Trump adviser and owner of Starlink and Tesla, Elon Musk, has joined the president for the first two legs of this Middle East tour.

Today, he met with the governor of the Qatar Central Bank and chairman of the board of directors of the Qatar Investment Authority.

The group reviewed "the most significant global financial and investment developments", according to a statement from the central bank.

And yesterday, Musk spoke on stage with Saudi Arabian minister Abdullah Alswaha ahead of Trump's arrival at the Saudi-US investment forum.

He spoke about his business exploits and the philosophy of "curiosity", and was thanked by his counterpart.

Image source, EPA

Tom Bateman
US State Department correspondent

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has now dropped off from the Trump itinerary in the Gulf and has left Doha.

He is en route to Antalya, Turkey, where he will meet Nato foreign ministers on Thursday.

It comes ahead of his planned travel onwards to Istanbul on Friday, where the State department says he will attend talks with European counterparts to discuss the war in Ukraine.

As we've been reporting, during his visit to Saudi Arabia, President Trump announced his decision to lift sanctions on Syria.

BBC Arabic's Middle East Daily radio programme has been speaking to people living in refugee camps following years of war who hope to return to Syria once sanctions are ended.

"As a Syrian citizen, I lived through the war and the bombings. I was displaced from my village and my home because of the violence. For the past 14 years, I’ve lived in a tent," one woman says.

"As a displaced person, I dream of returning to our villages and destroyed cities, so we can begin rebuilding our country. I want to go back to my home, send my children back to school," says a displaced man.

And Bashar Al-Fares, whose house in ruins, says the lifting of sanctions could improve the economy and living conditions in the country, marking the beginning of the "reconstruction process".

"With the involvement of international organisations, reconstruction efforts can begin, allowing civilians to rebuild their lives."

Lina Sinjab
Middle East correspondent, reporting from Damascus

Image source, Reuters

An attractive and tough man. This is how President Trump described Syria's leader – a man who was once described as a terrorist.

Trump requested that President Ahmed al-Sharaa normalise relations with Israel, and sign up to the Abraham Accords.

But Israel, remember, destroyed Syria's defence power in the 48 hours that followed the fall of Assad in December, when over 400 airstrikes were reported.

Israel continued to escalate against Syria, and hit a location close to the presidential palace recently, while claiming to want to protect the rights of Druze - a religious minority - in Syria.

President Sharaa has repeatedly said that Syria wants good relationships with its neighbours –without specifying which ones. Many suggest that he is ready to engage in talks with Israel.

The leader is very much focused on getting Syria back on its feet, and get the economy moving, so that he keeps up with promises to his own people.

Lifting US sanctions is a big breakthrough for his legacy and for the millions of Syrians who were affected by then.

Maintaining good ties with regional powers will certainly work in Sharaa's favour – but how it impacts Palestinians may cause anger among many Syrians.

We're hearing that the foreign ministers of Turkey, the US and Syria will meet in Turkey on Thursday following an informal gathering of Nato foreign ministers to discuss details of US President Donald Trump's pledge to lift sanctions on Syria. That's according to Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

Speaking to state broadcaster TRT, Fidan described today's meeting between Trump, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as of "historic" importance.

He said that the foreign ministers would come together to discuss how to carry forward the details of agreement to lift sanctions.