Trump Eyes Expansion of Abraham Accords Ahead of Middle East Trip

Hagar Chemali, former director for Syria and Lebanon at the National Security Council, said Trump's trip to the Middle East next week is a continuation of efforts to strengthen US influence in the region as a counterweight to China and to expand on the Abraham Accords.

The US said it’s developing a fast-track process for screening foreign investments in the US, an effort Trump administration officials expect could smooth the way for billions from wealth funds in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

The US Treasury Department said in a statement Thursday that the effort includes gathering information from investors based in partner nations before they file for deal approvals from US regulators, launching a Known Investor portal run by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US.

Administration officials have discussed including the three Middle East nations in the initiative, according to people familiar with the situation, ahead of President Donald Trump’s plans to visit them next week. Some European and Asian countries have also been discussed as potential partners in the program, said some of the people, who asked not to be identified as the deliberations are private and nothing has been finalized.

Fast-track status would help eliminate a major hurdle for the Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds, which collectively oversee trillions of dollars and drew scrutiny from CFIUS during the Biden administration over their perceived close ties to China.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent may join the US delegation to the Gulf next week to follow up on talks, which gained momentum during meetings in Washington on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Spring Meetings last month.

While Trump officials have taken an aggressive posture towards Beijing, they’ve been encouraged by recent measures from some Gulf states to demonstrate that Washington remains their primary partner on defense, technology and investments, some people familiar with matter said.

“Treasury is committed to maintaining and enhancing the open investment environment that benefits our economy, while making sure that process efficiencies do not diminish our ability to identify and address national security risks that can accompany foreign investment,” Bessent said in the statement.

The White House National Security Council didn’t respond to a request for comment.

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