Lloyd Austin, the Pentagon chief is scheduled to visit the Middle East this weekend, where his immediate priority will be Iran, a senior US defense official said Friday.
Secretary of Defense is heading to visit Jordan, Egypt, and Israel. Sources familiar with his trip have said that Austin will also stop in Iraq, where US combat armies officially withdrew at the end of 2021. US troops are still present in Iraq at the invitation of Baghdad to instruct and help missions. Over 30,000 US troops are deployed across multiple bases in the Middle East.
While Iran enhancing uranium at levels close to the weapons stage, its ongoing support for terrorist groups and representatives across the region, and its stockpile of drones to Russia, Iran has become an increasingly critical threat to the US and its allies.
The Biden administration has long favored a diplomatic solution to Iran’s nuclear weapons program, which Iran claims is for civilian purposes. Talking to reporters at the Pentagon, the senior US defense official restated the president’s continued desire to address Iran’s nuclear purposes through diplomacy.
Secretary Austin’s job is to ensure that should the President need other options, there are credible options from the Department of Defense available.”
the official said who was speaking on condition of anonymity.
Citing senior Biden administration officials as saying that restoring the 2015 nuclear agreement is not currently on the table, the official noted that the Pentagon has been working on the “full constellation” of Iranian threats.
The official indicated Iran’s cultivation of non-state actors and representatives that threaten the US and its allies, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Iran’s charge at sea, cyber threats, drone threats, and its ballistic missile program are several other issues the US is working to counter.
Every partner, every capital you visit in the Middle East, will talk about their concerns related to all of these threats. So Secretary Austin will seek to… consult with our partners on how we can most effectively push back and undermine them going forward.”
the official said
Senior Biden administration officials were recently in Riyadh, where they met with GCC counterparts for discussions on Iran, counterterrorism, and preaching other common threats.
That trip was also meant to signal Washington’s commitment to the Middle East at a time when the Russian invasion of Ukraine and China’s possible invasion of Taiwan is the primary priority of the West. Austin’s approaching trip is meant to further signal the US commitment to the region.
Secretary Austin will convey enduring US commitment to the Middle East and provide reassurance to our partners that the United States remains committed to supporting their defense.”
the US defense official said.
Further matters to be raised will include Russia’s war on Ukraine and China’s efforts to develop its regional impression. While admitting that the US has its economic ties with Beijing.
Specifically, what he will say there is that we are not asking for a divorce between our partners and China. But we will also be honest about certain areas of security cooperation that we think introduce risk to our security partnerships in the Middle East.”
the official said.
