With selfish agenda, Biden achieves limited goals on 1st Mideast trip as US president

CAIRO -- Joe Biden on Saturday concluded his first visit to the Middle East as the US president, achieving a limited number of strategic goals on his selfish agenda.

He neither succeeded in his bid to form a regional military alliance against Iran, nor convinced Saudi Arabia to act immediately to raise oil output.

As a matter of fact, even before his arrival, there was a low expectation for any breakthrough during his trip designed mainly to salvage his declining approval ratings back home amid a rising inflation and an ailing economy.

ATTEMPT TO FORM ANTI-IRAN ALLIANCE

In Israel, the first leg of his four-day trip, Biden signed the US-Israel Strategic Partnership Joint Declaration with Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, pledging to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

Despite Biden's show of unity, Israel was displeased with his continued efforts to restore the Iranian 2015 nuclear deal.

Israel considers Iran as its arch foe and has continuously voiced concern over its nuclear aspirations, though Iran insists its nuclear program is not for military purposes.

The United States, together with other world powers, has been engaged in negotiations with Iran on reviving the 2015 Iranian nuclear pact since last year. The United States unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018, but the Biden administration hopes to restore the deal through indirect talks with Iran.

"The real issue is what the US is going to do about Iran, which is what Israel is very much concerned about, and we know that there are differences of opinion between Israel and the US on this issue," said Efraim Inbar, president of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, an Israeli think tank.

Moreover, Biden's visit to Saudi Arabia, clouded by domestic criticism and his previous promise to punish the kingdom for its "human rights record," failed to realize the goal of normalizing ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia, both of which have strained relations with Iran.

Analysts warned that Biden's bid to create a regional anti-Iran security alliance, aka the Middle East version of NATO, still faces obstacles.

In the Arab world, differences exist with regard to how to deal with the so-called growing Iranian threat. Qatar has long had close ties with Tehran, while the United Arab Emirates (UAE) said it will not seek confrontation with Iran.

UAE President's Diplomatic Adviser Anwar Gargash clearly stated on Friday that the UAE will not be part of any group that targets Iran because the country is against "the idea of creating any axis" against Tehran.

Sinem Cengiz, a Turkish political analyst, told Saudi Arabia-based English-language newspaper, Arab News, that those countries involved still disagree on whether cooperation should be focused on the integration of air defense systems, or include intelligence sharing and military operations, and there is also a debate about whether to create a new alliance or improve the existing structures.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi warned on Thursday that any "mistakes" by the United States and its allies to stoke a regional crisis will receive a "decisive" response from Iran that will make them regret.