The United States has agreed its largest ever arms deal with Saudi Arabia on the first day of US President Donald Trump's visit to the country.
However, Mr Trump's first overseas trip has been overshadowed by continued controversy following his sacking of FBI director James Comey.
A $110bn deal in which Saudi Arabia will buy US arms to help it counter Iran, with options running as high as $350bn over 10 years, was the central achievement of Mr Trump's first day in Riyadh,
Riyadh is Mr Trump’s first stop on a nine-day journey through the Middle East and Europe.
Speaking to journalists after a ceremony to exchange agreements, Mr Trump said it was a "tremendous day" and expressed his thanks to Saudi Arabia.
"Tremendous investments in ... the United States, and our military community is very happy," he said.
"Hundreds of billions of dollars of investments into the United States and jobs, jobs, jobs. So I would like to thank all of the people of Saudi Arabia," said Mr Trump.
But the turmoil back home consumed the headlines and cast a long shadow over his first foreign trip as president.
His firing of Mr Comey and the appointment of a special counsel to investigate his election campaign's ties to Russia last year have raised the question of whether he tried to squelch a probe into the alleged Russia connection.
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Fanning the flames was a New York Times report that Mr Trump had called Mr Comey a "nut job" in a private meeting last week in the Oval Office with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and ambassador Sergei Kislyak. The Times quoted briefing notes of the conversation.
Asked for a response, the White House said that for national security reasons, "we do not confirm or deny the authenticity of allegedly leaked classified documents".
Russia's Interfax news agency quoted Mr Lavrov as saying he had not discussed Mr Comey with Mr Trump. "We did not touch this issue at all," the minister said.
In another development, the Washington Post said a current White House official close to Mr Trump was a significant "person of interest" in the investigation into possible ties with Russia.
The fallout followed Mr Trump to Riyadh but did nothing to cool the welcome he received by the royal Saudi family.
King Salman bin Abdulaziz greeted Mr Trump on a red carpet as he stepped off Air Force One, shaking the hand of his wife, Melania, and travelling in the US presidential limousine.
It was a more favourable welcome than had been granted last year to Mr Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama, who was seen in the Arab kingdom as soft on Iran and hesitant on Syria.
.@POTUS and King Salman sign a Joint Vision Statement between the United States and Saudi Arabia pic.twitter.com/vA9vTgqKZR
— Sean Spicer (@PressSec) May 20, 2017
Mr Trump's trip to Saudi Arabia, Israel, Italy, the Vatican and Belgium has been billed by the White House as a chance to visit places sacred to three of the world's major religions, while giving Mr Trump time to meet with Arab, Israeli and European leaders.
Mr Trump and King Salman seemed at ease with each other, chatting through an interpreter. At the royal al-Yamama palace, the king draped the King Abdulaziz medal around Mr Trump's neck, which is the country's top civilian honour.
The king was overheard lamenting the Syrian war to Mr Trump, who ordered air strikes against a Syrian airfield in April in response to a chemical weapons attack by government forces against civilians.
"Syria too used to be one of the most advanced countries. We used to get our professors from Syria. They served our kingdom. Unfortunately, they too brought destruction to their own country. You can destroy a country in mere seconds, but it takes a lot of effort," he said.
Mr Trump's response could not be heard.
The president’s decision to make his first official trip abroad to Saudi Arabia, followed by Israel, countries which both share his antagonism towards Iran, marks a contrast with Mr Obama's approach.
Mr Trump’s criticism of the nuclear deal Iran reached with the US and five other world powers in 2015 pleases both Saudi Arabia and Israel, who accused Mr Obama of going soft on Tehran.
Poll results showed today that Iranians had emphatically re-elected President Hassan Rouhani, a bold champion of reform, who has pledged to open Iran to the world and deliver freedoms its people have yearned for.
