American Delegation's Visit to the Middle East for Negotiations on Syria and Iran

On Friday, September 9, the U.S. State Department announced that two senior American officials would travel to Israel, Jordan, and Turkey on Saturday to discuss Iran and Syria. The statement from the State Department noted that James Jeffrey, the newly appointed Special Representative for Syria, along with Joel Rayburn, the Special Envoy for Syria, would visit the region from September 1 to 4 and meet with officials from these countries. The U.S. State Department stated that James Jeffrey would consult with senior officials in Israel regarding the shared interests of both countries in Syria to maintain Israel's security and counter Iran's destabilizing actions throughout the region. The President of the United States and other officials have stated that Iran has caused instability in the Middle East through its actions, including missile activities and support for militia groups. Iran denies these accusations. Iran supports the government of Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian civil war and has sent thousands of Shiite militants to support this government in Syria. Meanwhile, Israel has expressed concern over Iran's military presence in Syria and has stated that it will firmly counter Iran's efforts for military presence in Syria. The U.S. State Department further stated that they would emphasize that the United States would respond to any chemical attack by the Syrian government against opposition forces. The State Department clarified that James Jeffrey and Joel Rayburn, during their meetings with leaders and other officials in Jordan and Turkey, would stress the U.S. position that any military operation by the Syrian government to seize Idlib would exacerbate the crisis in Syria and the region. The Idlib region in northern Syria is the last province still under the control of rebel groups opposing Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian government claims it is seeking to retake this area. Concerns have increased regarding a humanitarian crisis should the Syrian government conduct military operations in Idlib. On the previous day, Stefan de Mistura, the UN Special Envoy for Syria, called on Iran, Russia, and Turkey to prevent conflict in the Idlib province of Syria. While concerns about a humanitarian crisis in Idlib have risen, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed that armed groups opposing Bashar al-Assad's government in Idlib are preparing a chemical attack in the area to blame the Syrian government for this attack. The U.S. State Department also stated that James Jeffrey and Joel Rayburn would respond to Russia's claim regarding a chemical attack by the Syrian opposition during their meetings with officials in Jordan and Turkey. Nikki Haley, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, stated in April that based on U.S. estimates, during the seven-year Syrian war, Bashar al-Assad's army has used chemical weapons at least 50 times.