Overview
- A message published by Morocco’s Royal Office on Aug. 1 quoted President Donald J. Trump reaffirming U.S. recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara and endorsing Morocco’s autonomy proposal as the sole basis for a solution.
- King Mohammed VI informed Trump on July 2 that he would name the 1,055 km Tiznit–Dakhla expressway the "Donald J. Trump Highway," a route whose southern section runs largely through the disputed territory.
- Trump directed his administration to promote economic and social development with Morocco, explicitly including projects in Western Sahara and cooperation in energy, artificial intelligence, critical minerals and defense.
- Moroccan officials present the highway and linked port and infrastructure plans as state-building measures to integrate the territory economically and improve travel and trade across the Atlantic corridor.
- The diplomatic and symbolic moves reinforce Morocco’s claim on the ground but do not change the territory’s international legal status, which the United Nations still lists as non-self-governing and subject to ongoing dispute involving the Polisario Front and Algeria.