DUBAI: US President Joe Biden will send a high-level delegation to visit countries in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Jordan, this week, to discuss regional matters, Asharq Al-Awsat reported on Wednesday citing White House sources.
Discussions are expected to include developments on talks with Iran on the nuclear deal taking place in Vienna, the UAE’s purchase of the next generation of F-35 aircraft, as well as the ongoing efforts to calm tensions in the Middle East.
The US envoy to Iran Robert Malley held talks earlier this week with the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council to relay developments of the meetings in Vienna.
The delegation will be led by officials from the US State Department, the National Security Council and the Department of Defense.
US National Security Council Middle East Policy Coordinator, Brett McGurk, State Department Adviser, Derek Chollet, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Joy Hood, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Middle East Affairs, Dana Stroll, will also be part of the delegation.
The delegation’s visit comes amid growing concern among allies in the region that Biden is looking to return the United States to the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, which former President Donald Trump abandoned.
