Iran must be isolated: Trump

RIYADH: US President Donald Trump called on Arab leaders to isolate Iran and do their fair share to "drive out" terrorism from their countries on Sunday in a speech that put the burden on the region to combat militant groups.Trump, who generated controversy with his push to ban many Muslims from entering the United States, described the fight against terrorism as a battle between good and evil rather than a clash of civilisations.

"America is prepared to stand with you in pursuit of shared interests and common security. But nations of the Middle East cannot wait for American power to crush this enemy for them," Trump told leaders of 55 Muslim majority countries representing more than a billion people.

"The nations of the Middle East will have to decide what kind of future they want for themselves, for their countries and frankly for their families and for their children," he said. "It's a choice between two futures and it’s a choice America cannot make for you. A better future is only possible if your nations drive out the terrorists and drive out the extremists. Drive them out! Drive them out of your places of worship. Drive them out of your communities. Drive them out of your holy land and drive them out of this earth," he said.

Trump's "America first" philosophy helped him win the 2016 election and has rattled allies who depend on US support for their defence. The president made clear in his address that Washington would partner with the Middle East but expected more action in return. "Terrorism has spread across the world. But the path to peace begins right here, on this ancient soil, in this sacred land," he said in Saudi Arabia, the first stop on a nine-day tour that includes Israel, Italy and Belgium.

Trump's speech, preceded by a traditional reading of the Holy Quran, held Iran responsible for global extremism and highlighted US and Saudi commitment to economic development, inter-faith peace and the fight against terrorism.

On economic ties, Trump said some $400 billion in agreements signed this weekend with Saudi Arabia would create hundreds of thousands of jobs in both countries, and that he looked forward to cooperating in the future.

"This landmark agreement includes the announcement of a $110 billion Saudi-funded defence purchase. And we will be sure to help our Saudi friends to get a good deal from our great American defence companies, the greatest anywhere in the world. This agreement will help the Saudi military to take a far greater role in security and operations having to do with security," he said.

Trump said "terrorists do not worship God, they worship death." He praised the six-state Gulf Cooperation Council, specifically Saudi Arabia, for "blocking funders from using their countries as a financial base for terror, and for designating Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation, which they certainly are, this year."

The president said Iran was responsible for training armed groups in the wars in Syria, Yemen and Iraq, but drew a clear distinction between the "richness and culture" of the Iranian people and the government in Tehran.

On Iran's influence, Trump said: "The government that gives terrorists safe harbour, financial backing... It is the regime that is responsible for so much instability in that region. I am speaking of course of Iran. From Lebanon to Iraq to Yemen, Iran funds, arms and trains terrorists, militias and other extremist groups that spread destruction and chaos across the region and call for the destruction of Israel and death to America”.

On refugees, he praised Lebanon and Turkey for accommodating Syrians fleeing war at home. "This region should not be a place from which refugees leave but to which newcomers flock."

Trump said Arab and Muslim countries had suffered the deadliest toll of radicalism. "Behind every pair of eyes is a soul that yearns for justice and years for peace. Today billions of faces are now looking at us, waiting for us to act on the great questions of our time," he said.

The speech in a gilded hall bedecked with chandeliers is part of an effort to redefine his relationship with the Muslim world after Trump frequently attacked Muslims on the campaign trail last year and tried to ban many from entering the United States. Trump received a warm welcome from Arab leaders, who set aside his campaign rhetoric about Muslims and focused on his desire to crack down on Iran's influence in the region, a commitment they found wanting in Obama.

Trump's signature phrase "radical Islamic terrorism" was not included in the speech, according to excerpts released in advance by the White House.

Instead, he used the term "Islamist extremism", which refers to Islamism as political movement rather than Islam as a religion, a distinction that he had frequently criticised the administration of his predecessor Barack Obama for making.

Earlier, Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz accused regional rival Iran of exporting extremist Islamic movements to the world and vowed to eliminate the Islamic State group.

"The Iranian regime has been the spearhead of global terrorism since the (Ayatollah Ruhollah) Khomeini revolution" in 1979, King Salman said in a speech to leaders including US President Donald Trump.

"We did not know terrorism and extremism until the Khomeini revolution reared its head," he said. Saudi Arabia was also determined to "eliminate the Islamic State group", the king said.