Ahead of Joe Biden’s inauguration as the 46th president of the United States, a broad and fairly cohesive political coalition of Middle Eastern capitals are preparing to present the new administration in Washington with a clear and determined stand: There is no going back to the original 2015 nuclear agreement between world powers and Iran. Iran must not be rewarded for its actions. Conditions have changed as has the situation on the ground. The United States must leverage the achievements of the sanctions on Iran.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will likely be the unofficial leader of this Middle Eastern front and the one to present its position in Washington. He is coordinating positions with Israel’s Gulf allies (although he has encountered recent difficulties with Saudi Arabia, angered by the leak of his late November meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman), as well as those in Amman and Cairo.