US President Donald Trump arrived in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Tuesday, on his first tour of the Middle East since his re-inauguration as US president last January.

Saudi Arabia's Al-Ekhbariya channel broadcast live footage of Trump's plane arriving at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.

This tour, which runs from May 13 to 16, also includes Qatar and the UAE. It will be his first trip outside the United States during his second presidential term, although he made a brief visit to Rome to attend the funeral of Pope Francis. The White House confirmed that he is looking forward to a "historic return" to the region.

Eight years ago, Trump also chose Saudi Arabia as the destination for his first foreign trip as president, where he posed for a photo with a glowing crystal and participated in a sword dance.

His decision to bypass his traditional Western allies and travel to the Gulf states once again underscores their growing geopolitical importance, as well as his distinguished trade relations in the region.

In the days leading up to the Gulf trip, the White House played a pivotal role in brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, the release of an Israeli-American hostage in Gaza by Hamas, and another round of nuclear talks with Iran.

These diplomatic initiatives came after Trump's surprise announcement last week that he had agreed to a truce with the Houthis in Yemen, after nearly two months of targeting them with near-daily airstrikes.

The focus of his Gulf tour is likely to be on concluding trade agreements.

Riyadh, Doha, and Abu Dhabi are expected to welcome Trump with a grand welcome, with agreements likely to cover the defense, aviation, energy, and artificial intelligence sectors.

White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt said ahead of the visit that "the president looks forward to embarking on his historic return to the Middle East," promoting a vision "in which extremism is defeated rather than trade and cultural exchanges."

The Gulf states consolidated their position as key diplomatic partners during Trump's second term.

Doha remains a key mediator in negotiations between Israel and Hamas, while Saudi Arabia has mediated talks on the war in Ukraine.

In Riyadh, Trump will also meet with the leaders of the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and Oman.

Trump's visit to Riyadh has been rumored for months, with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, the world's largest crude oil exporter, pledging in January to inject $600 billion into U.S. trade and investment.

In response to the offer, Trump said, "I'm going to ask the Crown Prince, who's a great guy, to increase it to about a trillion dollars. I think they'll do that because we've been great with them."

According to a Saudi official close to the Ministry of Defense, Riyadh will strive to secure the latest American F-35 fighter jets, along with advanced air defense systems worth billions of dollars.

"We will stipulate that the deliveries take place during Trump's term, especially the air defense missiles," the source told AFP.

Efforts to push Saudi Arabia to recognize Israel are unlikely to be at the top of the agenda for this trip, as Riyadh has insisted on the establishment of a Palestinian state before discussing relations with Tel Aviv.

Iran is likely to be a major focus of the visit, following a fourth round of talks in Oman on Saturday that saw relative progress between the two sides.

Last week, Trump announced that he would "make a decision" on the official name the United States would adopt for the Gulf, after media reports indicated that he intended to name the body of water that Iran insists on calling the Persian Gulf the "Arabian Gulf" or "Arabian Gulf."