Trump’s diplomatic victory lap in Egypt was packed with business undertones, from the Indonesian president’s hot-mic request to meet one of Trump’s sons — either would be fine — to a red-carpet moment in which Trump marveled at the Gulf’s “unlimited cash.” Also on hand was Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country has pitched the US on a variety of deals, from crypto ventures to an Arabian Sea port offering Washington access to critical minerals. (Saudi Arabia sent its foreign minister, suggesting it views the moment’s significance as more political than commercial.)
A lasting ceasefire could open the door to Israeli tech firms joining the AI boom in the Gulf, James Stavridis, the former NATO commander and current Carlyle vice chair, told Semafor in June; he’s also bullish on a peacetime Iran. A best-case scenario, he said, looks like “the reconstruction of the Korean peninsula after the end of the Korean War.” The end of hostilities could also revive deals like a joint venture between BP and Abu Dhabi’s national oil company, which had been paused during the war.