Trump takes first flight on Air Force One gifted by Qatar as US-Iran talks continue

President Donald Trump took his first flight on July 1 aboard the Air Force One aircraft donated by Qatar, PBS NewsHour reported, on the same day negotiators from the United States and Iran held further indirect talks in Qatar and the administration said it will not renew the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

The retrofitted Boeing 747, gifted by Qatar last year and valued at $400 million, required hundreds of millions of dollars in additional defense and security systems and carries a new red, white, navy and gold color scheme, per PBS, replacing a model that had served for more than 30 years. After Trump leaves office, ownership transfers to the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation, PBS reported, quoting the president: "You can do two things. You can low-key it or you can show it." The Washington Times reported the same week on the Qatari jet entering service as Air Force One.

On the diplomatic track, US and Iranian negotiators held indirect technical talks in Qatar, communicating through regional mediators, per PBS. The key sticking point is control of the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran insists it controls; Iranian state television showed images of a container ship that ran aground after using an unapproved route, and Vice President Vance expressed optimism about progress, per the report.

Separately, the administration said it will not renew the USMCA, with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer citing "shortcomings" in the pact, per PBS. The deal's terms remain in place for 10 years with annual reviews, rather than the 16-year extension renewal would have brought.

Background

The Qatari gift stepped into a long-running procurement gap: the program to replace the aging presidential 747s with new Boeing VC-25B aircraft has run years behind schedule, leaving presidents flying jets that entered service in the early 1990s. The donation drew scrutiny when it was announced, with critics raising questions about the propriety of a foreign government supplying the presidential aircraft — concerns the administration rejected.

The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow passage between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula, carries roughly a fifth of the world's oil trade, which is why its status recurs as the hardest question in any US-Iran arrangement. Qatar, which maintains working relations with both Washington and Tehran and hosts the largest US air base in the region, has repeatedly served as venue and intermediary for indirect contacts between the two.

What comes next

The Qatar channel continues: watch for whether the indirect technical talks produce any documented understanding on Hormuz transit, the issue both sides have flagged as central. On trade, the USMCA's terms now run on a 10-year clock with annual reviews, per PBS, making each yearly review a fresh point of leverage among the three parties.