Donald Trump has continued his four-day Middle East tour in Qatar. Today he signed deals on defence and aviation with Qatar and met Syria’s president, a man once imprisoned by the US. Listen to the Daily – on Trump’s Syria deal – as you catch up on Wednesday’s events.
Wednesday 14 May 2025 22:04, UK
Thanks for joining us – we’ll be back in the morning with all the latest from Donald Trump’s tour of the Middle East.
Before then, here’s a recap of the biggest stories from the last 24 hours:
For more expert analysis, catch up on the latest from our team of editors and correspondents:
Iran’s president says his country will not „bow to any bully“ in response to Donald Trump’s criticism of Tehran during his Gulf tour.
Speaking at an investment summit in Saudi Arabia yesterday, Trump called Iran the „most destructive force“ in the Middle East, blaming it for instability across the region.
He also said the US will never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon and said Washington would have „no choice but to inflict massive maximum pressure“ on Tehran if it rejected his „olive branch“.
In comments broadcast live on Iranian state TV today, president Masoud Pezeshkian issued a direct response to Trump.
„He thinks he can come here, chant slogans, and scare us,“ he said.
„For us, martyrdom is far sweeter than dying in bed. You came to frighten us? We will not bow to any bully.“
Donald Trump is not going to Turkey to join Russia-Ukraine talks, a US official has told the Reuters news agency.
The US president had suggested he might attend the talks in Istanbul, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would attend, but only if Vladimir Putin did too.
But it seems the Russian president has rejected the offer, with his name not on the list of delegates heading to Turkey.
The list instead includes presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, deputy foreign minister Galuzin Mikhail Yuryevich and deputy minister of defence Alexander Fomin.
We’ve just had some information on the „culinary and cultural experience“ enjoyed by guests during tonight’s state dinner in Doha.
According to the pool of reporters at Lusail Palace, roasted camel was on the menu, although it’s unclear if Donald Trump was served any.
Donald Trump has finished his state dinner in Doha and is now due to leave Lusail Palace.
Before this, he walks with the Emir of Qatar and FIFA president Gianni Infantino to inspect a football, which all three men then sign.
As a reminder, Qatar controversially hosted the 2022 World Cup – the first to be held in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia, where Trump visited yesterday, will host the 2034 tournament.
Democrats have flown a banner over Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida today mocking his ties to Qatar and the Middle East.
The banner, which says „Welcome to Qatar-a-Lago“, flew across the Palm Beach skies as Trump was in Doha for the second day of his tour of the Middle East.
The US president has come under fire for his administration’s potential acceptance of a luxury jet from Qatar designed for use as Air Force One.
The US Constitution states that accepting a gift from an overseas power requires congressional approval, which Trump has not requested.
In a statement, Ken Martin, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, accused Trump of using the presidency to personally enrich himself.
„His corruption is a slap in the face to the millions of Americans who are struggling to get by and put food on the table,“ he said.
„Today, the DNC is highlighting what foreign autocracies around the world already know: Trump has no loyalty to the American people, national security, or the Constitution — his only allegiance is to his bank account and his billionaire buddies.“
Donald Trump has been very busy during his trip to the Middle East and we’re only just reaching the halfway stage.
He’s met with the leaders of several Arab nations, signed economic agreements and detailed his vision for the „golden“ future of the region.
Here are the main takeaways from Trump’s Middle East tour so far:
Donald Trump is speaking at a state dinner hosted by the emir of Qatar.
He says Doha is working with the US on securing a deal with Iran and that he wants to see the country „thrive“.
„It’s a terrible situation and we want to do the right thing,“ he says. „We want to do something that can save millions of lives.“
Trump thanks the emir and Qatari officials for their help and says the US will „do things for you that you’ll be very happy about“.
Earlier, Trump outlined three conditions he wants to see met in a deal with Iran. He said Tehran must „stop sponsoring terror, halt its bloody proxy wars and permanently and verifiably cease its pursuit of nuclear weapons.“
After Trump stops talking, the cameras are led out of the room. An announcer can be heard informing the guests that they are about to embark on a „culinary and cultural experience“ and a „musical journey“.
Donald Trump says he is looking at „normalising“ relations with Syria after lifting sanctions that have crippled the country for 25 years.
This morning, he met with Syria’s President Ahmed al Sharaa, who he later called a „young attractive guy“.
On this episode of the Sky News Daily, host Niall Paterson is joined by our international affairs editor Dominic Waghorn to discuss how the meeting came about, its significance for Syria and what it means for the wider region.
Donald Trump and the Emir of Qatar have finally finished greeting their guests for tonight’s state dinner in Doha.
The queue of attendees stretched well outside the Lusail Palace, with the two leaders taking the best part of 45 minutes to greet each guest individually.
Among those we spotted were US defence secretary Pete Hegseth, FIFA president Gianni Infantino, British journalist and media personality Piers Morgan, Boeing chief Kelly Ortberg and Trump’s billionaire buddy Elon Musk.
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