By Yousef Saba, Gram Slattery, Pesha Magid and Nafisa Eltahir RIYADH (Reuters) -President Donald Trump kicked off his trip to the Gulf on Tuesday with a surprise announcement that the United States will lift long-standing sanctions on Syria,

President Trump urged Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to sign the Abraham Accords in a previously unplanned meeting on Wednesday— one day after lifting all sanctions on the Middle Eastern country. The two leaders met on the sidelines of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Riyadh,

President Donald Trump, speaking to Gulf leaders at the Gulf Cooperation Council, said he wanted to make a deal with Iran and called for adding more countries to the Abraham Accords.

President Donald Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia marks a significant shift in U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.

Syrians have endured "brutal and crippling" sanctions over the past 14 years, and it's time to end them, President Donald Trump announced while in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.