US caught in crossfire amid flaring Jordan-Saudi tensions
US Vice President Mike Pence will face flaring tensions between Saudi Arabia and Jordan over Amman’s alleged ouster of royals close to Riyadh during his upcoming trip to the region.
US Vice President Mike Pence heads to the Middle East next week in an effort to quell regional tensions over the Donald Trump administration’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. But Pence will also face rising turmoil between Saudi Arabia and Jordan, two longstanding American allies.
Last month, Jordan’s King Abdullah II was forced to shoot down rumors that he had arrested two of his brothers because of their alleged communications with Riyadh. The crisis came amid rising Jordanian distress over Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s policies, including his reported support for revoking Jordan’s custodianship over Islamic sites in Jerusalem as part of a potential US-backed peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians.
