Leaders of UAE, Egypt and Israel meeting in Sharm el-Shaikh. March 22, 2022
The US State Department has welcomed the trilateral summit on Tuesday between the leaders of Egypt, Israel and the United Arab Emirates, partly focused on Iran.
Leaders of the three counties met in Sharm el-Sheikh for talks on the economic impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the growing influence of Iran in the region.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters in his daily briefing that Washington will continue to support. the Abraham Accords.
The three counties, in addition to Saudi Arabia, are concerned about the Biden Administration’s attempts to reach a new deal with Iran to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement known as JCPOA. Israeli officials in particular have indicated that Washington is not fully responsive to their concerns about Iran’s nuclear program and regional ambitions.
Price tried to implicitly address these concerns, saying that US Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley has been in close consultations with Persian Gulf Arab partners. The spokesman tried to argue that Washington’s Arab allies welcome its diplomatic efforts to revive the JCPOA.
But the trilateral meeting between Egypt, Israel and the UAE is seen as a regional effort to create a united front against Iran, whether the JCPOA is revived or not.
He also underscored President Joe Biden’s commitment to prevent Iran from ever acquiring nuclear weapons.