Biden’s trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia next week is expected to show how the administration is putting its stamp on relations with the region, but some experts argue the president has largely continued the policies of former President Trump in the Middle East.
Biden sought to reverse Trump’s decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal, but absent reviving the agreement, is leaning into closer coordination between Israel, Saudi Arabia and the anti-Iran coalition in the region to deter an Iranian nuclear threat.
Biden also rejected Iranian calls to lift the Trump-imposed terror designations on Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a move that has all but killed efforts to revive the deal, formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).