Biden’s problems in the Middle East are already building up

But problems are mounting elsewhere, especially in the Middle East, as President Biden seeks to reset US policy. During the election campaign, Biden and his allies denounced the “maximum pressure” campaign launched by his predecessor on Iran and the indulgence of Arab autocrats who violate human rights. It was always more difficult when he was in power, but events in recent days indicate that the grace period that the White House had hoped had already ended. On Monday night, a barrage of missiles fell near an American facility in Erbil. , The capital of the Kurdistan region of Iraq. The attack, which was claimed by an Iraqi Shiite militia linked to Iran, killed at least one non-American contractor and injured five American contractors. Tehran distanced itself from the strike, while Biden officials said Tuesday they were still working with their Iraqi colleagues to determine the origins of the attack. White House Press Secretary Jane Psaki said the president “reserves the right to respond in the time and manner we choose.” Iraqi Shiite militias seen as proxies of Iran have a long and appalling record of violence inside their country, allegedly targeting them. Political opponents and activists. They have also served as lever in the Islamic Republic’s shadow game against regional opponents. Their actions now make Biden’s already difficult diplomatic effort to salvage the nuclear deal with Iran even more difficult. For now, time appears to be running out: The Iranians have told the United Nations Atomic Energy Agency that it will restrict access by international inspectors to Iran’s nuclear sites by next week if major US sanctions are not lifted. Recycle the Obama-era attacks of appeasement and weakness. The Biden administration has canceled the Trump administration’s designation of the Houthi rebels in Yemen as a terrorist organization, on the grounds that the list has made humanitarian efforts in the country more difficult. Biden also announced the end of US support for offensive operations in the Saudi-led war against the Houthis, but the Houthis responded last week with a missile strike on Saudi territory that set fire to a civilian passenger plane, according to Saudi TV. United Nations officials warned Tuesday that the Houthi attack on the gas-rich Marib region was threatening to displace up to 2 million people who had been traumatized by half a decade of war. “The Houthi attack on Marib is the work of a noncommittal group.” “For the sake of peace or an end to the war that the Yemeni people are suffering from,” said State Department spokesman Ned Price. In the same briefing, the US special envoy to Yemen, Timothy Lenderking, told reporters that the United States “has ways to get messages to the Houthis, and we are using these channels aggressively.” International negotiators failed to mediate. A permanent ceasefire in Yemen, where there are still multiple escalating conflicts waged by a complex network of factions. For all the damage caused by the Saudi-led campaign, the Houthis, linked to Iran, also need to be convinced that it is in their interest to stop hostilities, and Biden faces a challenge when dealing with the country’s traditional allies in the region, too. Both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – both of whom are clearly close to the Trump administration – have been accused of “contemptuous” in his itinerary of phone calls with world leaders since taking office. Psaki rejected the accusation and said on Tuesday that Biden will speak to Netanyahu soon, but that there is nothing wrong with the bad intentions that many Democrats feel toward the Israeli leader, who has embraced President Donald Trump and vehemently opposed the Obama administration’s diplomatic efforts with Iran. If Netanyahu tries to undermine the president’s efforts to re-engage Iran – as he did with Obama – or impose his hand on massive settlement expansion, not to mention annexation, Biden will surely refuse, “wrote veteran American diplomat Aaron David Miller in an opinion piece for CNN.” A believer in the strong relationship between the United States and Israel and understands that mutual respect and reciprocity are key to seeing it thrive. But his support is for Israel, not for Netanyahu, and that may be painfully clear if the prime minister of Israel does not or does not accept these two very important rules of the road. “We made it clear from the start that we will reset our relationship with Saudi Arabia,” Psaki said Tuesday, before indicating that Biden’s contacts would take place with King Salman instead of the influential Crown Prince, whom the CIA called. Khashoggi, as Biden’s foreign policy debates have sparked concerns about human rights and the rule of law before taking office. They are immediately tested by US allies in the region, led by Egypt. On Sunday, Egyptian security forces raided the homes of relatives of Egyptian-American dissident Mohamed Sultan, the critic The outright judgment of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s oppressive rule. “By chasing after Sultan’s relatives again, as well as other relatives my colleague Sudarsan Raghavan wrote, my colleague Sudarsan Raghavan wrote:“ It seems that the overseas critics in recent days, the Sisi government appears to be challenging the Biden administration and its efforts to make Human rights are once again a priority for US foreign policy. ” It also highlights the uncomfortable relationship emerging between Sisi and the new White House.