State Department Briefing, May 15, 2025: Middle East Agreements, the 5 Percent NATO Target and Syria Sanctions Relief

Name: "State Department Briefing, May 15, 2025: Middle East Agreements, the 5 Percent NATO Target and Syria Sanctions Relief"
Uploaded: 2025-05-15
Duration: 1 h 33 min 35 s
Description: "Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott opened the May 15, 2025 State Department briefing by citing landmark Middle East agreements worth hundreds of billions of dollars announced during President Trump's trip, Secretary Rubio's push for a 5 percent NATO defense spending target, and the President's order ending sanctions on Syria, according to the U.S. Department of State."

May 15, 2025 · U.S. Department of State · 1:33:35

Embedded from the source channel — never re-uploaded. Watch on YouTube

What happened

Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott led the State Department briefing on May 15, 2025, standing in for Spokesperson Tammy Bruce, who was traveling with the Secretary, according to the department’s recording. Pigott said that under President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio the United States is ushering in a new golden era, and that in the Middle East the administration has so far announced landmark agreements with hundreds of billions of dollars that will expand American manufacturing, strengthen critical supply chains and fuel innovation, as he summarized the President’s trip. He noted Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau had joined the Commerce Department at the SelectUSA Investment Summit in Maryland that week for foreign investment benefiting American workers and businesses.

On security, Pigott said Secretary Rubio traveled to the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting, where he underscored the U.S. commitment to strengthening alliances and enhancing military readiness, arguing defense production must rise, readiness must improve and burden-sharing must be real, and he said the United States looks forward to charting a course for the 5 percent NATO defense spending target, as Pigott relayed the Secretary’s position. He noted Rubio would travel to Italy to accompany Vice President JD Vance for the papal inaugural Mass. He also said President Trump affirmed U.S. support for a peaceful future in Syria and is ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria to give it a chance at greatness, quoting the President’s stated rationale.

In questions, Pigott declined to discuss private diplomatic conversations about detentions and exit bans raised during the Gulf trip, while saying the U.S. assists citizens facing exit bans and works for fair and transparent treatment. On Sudan, he said both warring parties have used weapons acquired from foreign actors against civilians and committed human-rights abuses, and that the United States calls for an end to all external support for the warring parties, a cessation of hostilities and increased humanitarian access. On Gaza, he welcomed the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s launch the previous day as a creative solution to get aid in without allowing Hamas or other terrorists to take it, as he described the U.S. position.

Why it matters

Pigott’s topper is the administration’s own scorecard for the President’s Middle East trip — deal value, a 5 percent NATO target and Syria sanctions relief — delivered while the Secretary was still traveling, and it frames the results the trip would be judged by.

Sources: U.S. Department of State, “Department of State Press Briefing - May 15, 2025 - 2:00 PM”, 2025-05-15 (official upload, embedded above; published 2025-05-15). Transcript via Supadata (private research store, paraphrased and attributed, not republished). All figures and characterizations as stated by the speakers.