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US officials skeptical of China's deal but concerned about deterring Iran

China’s diplomatic reach into heart of Middle East was an unmistakable signal to Washington. Read more in the weekly security-focused newsletter from Al-Monitor’s Pentagon Correspondent Jared Szuba.
A member of the US Airforce looks on near a Patriot missile battery at the Prince Sultan air base in Al-Kharj, in central Saudi Arabia on February 20, 2020.

China dealt the Biden administration a startling diplomatic upset by brokering a restoration of ties between adversaries Saudi Arabia and Iran late last week.

That the Chinese Communist Party’s first ever demonstration of diplomatic mediation outside of East Asia reached the heart of the Middle East — a region long dominated by the United States — was an unmistakable signal.

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