The White House is pushing back against the idea that the United States is stepping away from the Middle East following the announcement that Iran and Saudi Arabia have agreed to reestablish relations, in a deal brokered by the Chinese regime.
“I would stridently push back on this idea that we’re stepping back in the Middle East—far from it,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on March 10. “It really does remain to be seen whether the Iranians are going to honor their side of the deal. This is not a regime that typically honors its word.”
He said that while the United States was kept informed about talks between Saudi Arabia and other parties, U.S. officials weren’t directly involved.
Tehran and Riyadh announced their agreement on March 10, following four days of previously unreported negotiations between top security officials from the two Middle Eastern rivals in Beijing. The two nations agreed to resume diplomatic relations and reopen embassies within two months, according to a statement issued by Iran, Saudi Arabia, and China….}