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Before Israeli-Arab summit, Blinken seeks to reassure allies on Iran

27 March 2022 21:27 (UTC +04:00)

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sought to reassure Israeli and Arab partners convening for a rare summit in Israel on Sunday that Washington would continue to counter any Iranian threat even as he promoted nuclear diplomacy with Tehran, APA reports quoting Reuters.

The issue is likely to dominate the two-day summit which will include foreign ministers from three Arab states that normalised ties with Israel even as peacemaking with the Palestinians remains stalled. Blinken pledged in parallel to work on improving Palestinian conditions.

Blinken's visit comes as some U.S. allies in the region question President Joe Biden administration's commitment and brace for fallout from an Iranian nuclear deal and the Ukrainian crisis.

The nuclear talks had been close to an agreement several weeks ago until Russia made last-minute demands of the United States, insisting that sanctions imposed on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine should not affect its trade with Iran.