Iran International

The US Special Representative for Iran and Venezuela, Elliot Abrams is paying a five-day visit to allied countries in the Middle East, the State Department announced November 7, as Joe Biden major media outlets called the election in Joe Biden’s favor.

Abrams is scheduled to visit Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates from November 7-12. The State Department has not released any details on the trip, except saying that the visit is “for consultations on Iran”. Regional countries are in the midst of weighing Biden’s victory and any possible changes to American foreign policy in the region.

While the Trump administration played an important role in brokering normalization deals between Several Arab countries and Israel in recent months, it is not clear if the Biden administration will treat the quest with the same focus and commitment. For Israel and the Persian Gulf states, US policy toward Iran is perhaps even more of an urgent matter. Biden has expressed his opposition to Trump’s decision to withdraw from the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement and has said he will return to the agreement with some conditions.

Israel and its friendly Arab countries are concerned that Biden might loosen the harsh sanctions Trump has imposed on the Islamic Republic, which have put Tehran under unrecedented finacial pressure. Many Iranian officials have expressed satisfaction with Trump's defeat and see Biden's election offering some hope to shake off Trumps 'maximum pressure' policy. While it may take a long time for Biden to start any talks with Iran, it is possible that the new administration will not enforce the sanctions as rigorously as Trump.

Israeli leaders have congratulated Bidens for his victory. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired off a tweet on Sunday saying, “Congratulation @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris. Joe, we’ve had a long & warm personal relationship for nearly 40 years, and I know you as a great friend of Israel. I look forward to working with both of you to further strengthen the special alliance between the U.S. and Israel.”

Earlier Israeli foreign minister Gabi Ashkenazi and defense minister Benny Gantz had congratulated Biden. Gantz also called Biden a long-time supporter of Israel. These congratulatory messages come even as Netanyahu’s close friend Donald Trump still challenges the vote count.

Netanyahu also tweeted about his gratitude for Trump’s support. "Thank you @realDonaldTrump for the friendship you have shown the state of Israel and me personally, for recognizing Jerusalem and the Golan, for standing up to Iran, for the historic peace accords and for bringing the American-Israeli alliance to unprecedented heights." 

It is clear that Israel, Saudi Arabia and the UAE will lobby with the Biden team to preserve as much of Trump's maximum pressure on Iran as possible, but it si too early to know what the president elect is thinking regarding overtures to Iran or to what extent he wants to reverse Trump's Iran policy.