Would Mideast leaders prefer Trump or Biden to deal with Iran?
Whoever wins the election, a new Iran deal would require a regional consensus and some tough diplomacy with Putin.
Iran made an appearance at Thursday night’s debate between US President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, the only mention of the Middle East in the two forums between the candidates.
In case you missed it, the question was about Iranian (and Russian) interference in the election. Biden swore that if elected, Iran and Russia would "pay a price" for their meddling. Trump said that both Russia and Iran want Biden to win, as Adam Lucente reports.
No surprise that the Middle East, and most foreign policy issues, are lower priority for Americans than COVID-19, the economy and health care at this late stage of the campaign. And few voters are likely to be swayed by a candidate’s position on the Iran nuclear deal or Israel’s normalization agreements.
The Trump administration’s policies in the region have nonetheless been impactful, however you assess that impact. Trump on Friday announced that Sudan has normalized ties with Israel, the third Arab country to do so this year, after the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, as Jared Szuba reports. Biden actually complimented Trump on the normalization accords, and if elected would, like Trump, probably pick up threads with other Arab states that may follow suit.
