Trump and King of Jordan Discuss 'Iran Threats' and Syrian Crisis

The President of the United States met with King Abdullah II of Jordan in Washington. According to the White House, the discussions focused on 'Iran threats', terrorism, and the Syrian crisis. Trump stated that his administration's withdrawal from the nuclear agreement has created 'significant progress in the Middle East'. On July 4, Donald Trump, along with his wife, welcomed King Abdullah II and the Queen of Jordan at the White House. After meeting with their spouses, the U.S. President and the King of Jordan engaged in talks. The White House has indicated that 'terrorism, the Iranian threat, and the Syrian crisis, as well as cooperation to achieve lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians' were the topics of the negotiations. Before the talks began, Trump once again described the nuclear agreement made by Barack Obama’s administration, five other powers, and Tehran as a 'disaster', stating to reporters that his withdrawal from the agreement has led to 'significant progress in the Middle East'. The U.S. President added, without referencing specific details, that 'everything has changed since we ended the [nuclear] agreement'. In mid-June, Trump also mentioned that the U.S. exit from the nuclear deal with Iran has changed the behavior of the Islamic Republic in the region. At that time, the U.S. President stated that Iranian officials, after the U.S. left the JCPOA, 'no longer pay much attention to the Mediterranean. They are paying less attention to what is happening in Syria or what is going on in Yemen and many other places. They have become a completely different country in the last three months'. Trump, a staunch critic of the nuclear agreement with Iran, announced on May 8 that his administration would withdraw from the agreement and reimpose suspended sanctions against Tehran. Other negotiating parties with Tehran, namely the European Union, Germany, the UK, France, as well as Russia and China, have called for the preservation of the JCPOA and have repeatedly warned about the consequences of Washington's exit from it. On the other hand, Israel and, in some cases, Saudi Arabia, key U.S. allies in West Asia, have criticized the nuclear agreement. The Israeli government has repeatedly called for the 'amendment' or abandonment of the JCPOA. During his meeting with Trump, the King of Jordan expressed gratitude for his support. Earlier, Jared Kushner, Trump's advisor and son-in-law, had met with the King of Jordan. This meeting occurred during Kushner's trip to the Middle East and was aimed at paving the way for potential negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. The topic of 'peace' between the two sides, alongside the civil war in Syria, Jordan's neighbor, which has sent hundreds of thousands of refugees to that country, are other topics expected to be discussed by the U.S. and Jordanian leaders.