The American newspaper Politico reported that some of the "staunch opponents" of the nuclear deal with Iran in the region are urging US President-elect Joe Biden to allow them to have an opinion or a seat at the negotiating table in any future talks with Tehran.
The newspaper said that representatives of Gulf countries and Israel are raising this issue during private or public talks before President Biden takes over the administration of the White House on January 20 next.
She also revealed that the ambassadors of 3 of these countries expressed to her - during her interviews - that they have more things to lose than the United States or any other country that contributed to the drafting of the nuclear agreement in 2015, stressing that their participation in any future talks with Tehran would enhance its influence. America over Iran.
Clash with Biden
But this matter may also cause - the newspaper adds - in a "clash" with Biden's government team, which has explicitly expressed that he will seek to revive the Iranian agreement, which was welcomed by Israel and the Arab countries with the withdrawal of outgoing President Donald Trump in 2018.
The newspaper asserts that these same Arab countries now want Joe Biden to forget the original deal with Tehran and begin drafting a new, tougher agreement that could even include Iran's non-nuclear programs, such as the ballistic missile program and Tehran's exploitation of militias to wage proxy wars in the region.
And she believes that the "coordinated" Arab-Israeli calls in this context indicate the extent of the transformation that the political scene has witnessed since Biden was Vice President Barack Obama until now.
In addition to other things - Politico adds - it is likely that the recent approval of some Arab countries to recognize Israel will give these demands greater weight in American foreign policy circles, and this may give them an opportunity to cooperate more openly and clearly in putting pressure on the White House.
The newspaper quoted the UAE ambassador to Washington, Yousef Al-Otaiba, as saying - during an exclusive interview - that when drafting the 2015 agreement, American officials acted as if they had to choose between the European allies - who participated in the negotiations - and their partners in the Middle East, who were largely excluded.
"That was a wrong choice," he added. "America should maintain strong relations with all its partners in Europe and the Middle East, and appear with both groups at the negotiating table."
Al-Otaiba: Washington's choice when drafting the nuclear deal with Iran was "wrong" (communication sites)
Private sessions
The newspaper mentioned that the Emirati official was participating in a "private and informal" session that dealt with the file of the nuclear agreement with Iran, which he and his Bahraini and Israeli counterparts brought together yesterday, Monday, with members of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), noting that Such sessions, which were difficult to imagine until recently, are now more common in the wake of the normalization agreements with Israel.
The newspaper also quoted the Israeli ambassador in Washington, Ron Dermer, as saying, addressing the speech to the incoming Biden administration, "The first thing I will say to the next administration, sit down with your allies in the region and listen to us ... Try to reach a common position, which I think is possible, not only in dealing with issues." Nuclear but also with Iranian aggression in the region. "
In another interview, Politico quoted the Bahraini ambassador to Washington, Abdullah Al Khalifa, as saying that "his country is particularly frustrated by the Iranian interference in its internal affairs."
The Bahraini official added, "It is important for us to be part of the talks, because we are the ones who sit in the first row in the event of any development, and we will have to bear all the consequences."
The American newspaper pointed out that the spokesman for the transition team for President-elect Joe Biden refused to comment on this news.