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In Saudi Arabia, Trump reaches out to Sunni Nations, at Iran's expense

Trump shifts reinvestment in historical alliances with friendly nations to fight extremism

donald trump, riyadh, saudi arabia
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US President Donald Trump holds a sword and sways with traditional dancers during a welcome ceremony at Murabba Palace, in Riyadh. Photo: AP/PTI

Ben Hubbard and Thomas Erdbrink | NYT
As voters in Iran danced in the streets, celebrating the landslide re-election of a moderate as president, President Trump stood in front of a gathering of leaders from across the Muslim world and called on them to isolate a nation he said had “fueled the fires of sectarian conflict and terror.”

That nation was Iran.

In using the headline address of his first foreign trip as president to declare his commitment to Sunni Arab nations, Mr. Trump signaled a return to an American policy built on alliances with Arab autocrats, regardless of their human rights records or policies that sometimes