U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Lebanon has a “once-in-a-generation” opportunity to end Hezbollah’s stranglehold and rebuild a peaceful and prosperous state, provided its new leadership seizes the moment to restore effective governance.

Speaking at the Gulf Cooperation Council-U.S. Summit in Riyadh, Trump called on Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam to take bold steps toward national recovery, emphasizing that the country “has a chance to break free from the grip of Hezbollah."

“If Lebanon’s President and Prime Minister can rebuild an effective Lebanese state, this will be a once-in-a-generation opportunity to forge a Lebanon that is prosperous and at peace with its neighbors,” Trump said.

His remarks came during a high-profile gathering, hosted by Saudi Arabia, that included key Gulf leaders: Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed Al Nahyan, Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, and Oman’s Deputy Prime Minister for International Relations Asaad bin Tariq Al Said.

For his part, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman echoed Trump’s comments, affirming Riyadh’s backing for Lebanon’s reform agenda and stressing the need for the Lebanese state to exercise exclusive control over all arms.

“We support Lebanon’s reform efforts and call for state control of all weapons,” the Crown Prince said.

Trump, who has signaled interest in restarting negotiations with Iran, also made clear that any future deal with Tehran must be conditioned on a halt to its regional destabilization campaigns.

“For a deal to happen, Iran must stop supporting terror and must not have a nuclear weapon,” he said. 

Trump said Tehran must "stop sponsoring terror, halt bloody proxy wars and permanently and verifiably cease its pursuit of nuclear weapons."