U.S. President Donald Trump speaking during the American-Saudi investment forum at the King Abdul Aziz International Conference Center in Riyadh on May 13, 2025. (Credit: Fayez Nureldine/AFP.)
In a lengthy speech delivered at the U.S.—Saudi Economic Forum during his official visit to Riyadh, U.S. President Donald Trump said he is "ready to help Lebanon," praising the new Lebanese authorities and calling for a "more productive partnership with the United States."
"My administration is ready to help Lebanon build a future of economic development and peace with its neighbors," Trump declared. 'There are wonderful people in Lebanon. Doctors, lawyers, great professionals. I hear it all the time.'
Trump stated that the Cedar country has been "continuously a victim of Hezbollah and its sponsor, Iran." "A new president (Joseph Aoun) and a new prime minister (Nawaf Salam) have brought, for the first time in decades, a new chance to create a more productive partnership with the United States," he added.
"We will work with their new ambassador and everyone else, and we will see if we can really help them overcome this very difficult stage," he continued.
Trump stated that Lebanon was a "very dangerous country," recounting the exchange he supposedly had with the new U.S. ambassador to Beirut, Michel Issa, a Lebanese - American businessman, at the time of his appointment in March.
"In Lebanon, where a friend of mine has just been appointed ambassador. He is going to be great. I told him: You know, this could be a very dangerous post. Are you sure you want to do this?" he reportedly said. "I was born there. I am Lebanese. I love this country. If I get hurt or if I die, I will die for a country that I love," Michel Issa supposedly replied. Trump concluded: "I never thought he was a warrior, but he is a warrior. He loves his country. What has happened in Lebanon is horrible, but you have a great ambassador, I can tell you."
"In Lebanon, Iran and their proxies Hezbollah have pillaged the hopes of a nation whose capital, Beirut, was once dubbed the 'Paris of the Middle East," Trump also said. "Can you imagine? All that misery, and much more suffering, were completely avoidable. Absolutely avoidable." "If only the Iranian regime had focused on building a nation rather than destroying the region," he continued. Beirut is sometimes referred to as the "Paris of the Middle East" due to its cosmopolitanism, vibrant cultural life, and central role in the region. However, Lebanon is also sometimes nicknamed the 'Switzerland of the Middle East."