Updated May 22, 2017 06:29:00

US President Donald Trump has called on Middle Eastern leaders to combat a "crisis of Islamic extremism" emanating from the region, casting the fight against terrorism as a "battle between good and evil" — not a clash between the West and Islam.

Mr Trump's address on Sunday was the centrepiece of his two-day visit to Saudi Arabia, his first stop overseas as President.

Middle East correspondent Matt Brown says Donald Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia is a telling triumph of commercial interest and strategic orthodoxy over his campaign rhetoric.

During a meeting of more than 50 Arab and Muslim leaders, he sought to chart a new course for America's role in the region, one aimed squarely at rooting out terrorism, with less focus on promoting human rights and democratic reforms.

"We are not here to lecture — we are not here to tell other people how to live, what to do, who to be, or how to worship," Mr Trump said, speaking in an ornate, multi-chandeliered room.

"Instead, we are here to offer partnership — based on shared interests and values — to pursue a better future for us all."

Even as the President pledged to work alongside Middle Eastern countries, he put the onus for combatting terrorism on the region.

Bellowing into the microphone, he implored Muslim leaders to aggressively fight extremists: "Drive them out of your places of worship. Drive them out of your communities."

The President has been enthusiastically embraced in Riyadh, where the ruling royal family has welcomed his tougher stance on Iran, its regional foe.

Photo: Donald Trump gets set to deliver a speech to the Arab Islamic American Summit in Riyadh. (AP: Evan Vucci)

King Salman takes aim at Iran

Sitting alongside Mr Trump, Saudi King Salman declared: "The Iranian regime has been the spearhead of global terrorism."

The King also said in the televised speech that Saudi Arabia would go after those who fund terrorism.

The furore in the wake of the sacking James Comey was chaotic, even by Donald Trump's standards, writes Zoe Daniel.

"We will never be lenient in trying anyone who finances terrorism, in any way or means, to the full force of the law," King Salman said.

For Mr Trump, the visit has been a welcome escape from the crush of controversies that have consumed his administration in recent weeks and triggered a stream of bad headlines.

He has been besieged by a series of revelations about the ongoing federal investigation into his campaign's possible ties to Russia and his decision to fire FBI director James Comey, who had been overseeing the Russia probe.

Mr Trump's trip to Saudi Arabia also served as something of a reset with the region following his presidential campaign, which was frequently punctured by bouts of anti-Islamic rhetoric.

He once mused that he thought "Islam hates us".

And only a week after taking office, he signed an executive order to ban immigrants from seven countries — Iraq, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen — from entering the United States, a decision that sparked widespread protests at the country's airports and demonstrations outside the White House.

That ban was blocked by the courts. A second order, which dropped Iraq from the list, is tied up in court and the US Government is appealing.

But on Sunday, Mr Trump was full of praise for Muslim world history and culture. He declared Islam "one of the world's great faiths".

US announces $150 billion arms deal

Earlier in the trip, Mr Trump announced arms deals with Saudi Arabia worth about $US110 billion ($147 billion).

Donald Trump is selling about $147 billion worth of military equipment to Saudi Arabia, including tanks, combat ships and missile defence systems.

Mr Trump was also awarded a gold medal, the country's highest civilian honour, by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz.

The trip had 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.

White House officials said they considered Mr Trump's address to be a counterweight to president Barack Obama's debut speech to the Muslim world in 2009 in Cairo.

Mr Obama called for understanding and acknowledged some of America's missteps in the region.

That speech was denounced by many Republicans and criticised by a number of the United States' Middle East allies as being a sort of apology.

AP/Reuters

Topics: donald-trump, islam, religion-and-beliefs, trade, defence-and-national-security, world-politics, government-and-politics, foreign-affairs, saudi-arabia, united-states

First posted May 22, 2017 01:36:10