A reaffirmation of strong Jordan-US ties

The visit of the newly-appointed US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Jordan for talks with His Majesty King Abdullah and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi has far reaching importance and symbolism about the strong and enduring partnership between the US and Jordan.

Pompeo’s visit to Amman was part of his first regional tour that he started immediately after his confirmation as the new secretary of state by Congress. Pompeo’s tour took him to Saudi Arabia and Israel, before arriving in Jordan.

Pompeo’s talks with Saudi King Salman Bin Abdulaziz in Riyadh centred on what he described as the growing “menace” of Iran in the region. Pompeo’s talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu focused also on Iran and its regional role in the Middle East.

Pompeo’s discussions in Saudi Arabia and Israel showed that the US is now firmly against the 2015 nuclear deal between Western countries and Iran and wants it amended to respond to the concerns repeatedly expressed by President Donald Trump.

The peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, however, did not figure prominently in the US-Israeli talks. In Amman, on the other hand, it was a different story.

For one thing, Pompeo had serious talks with King Abdullah about regional conflicts, on the top of which were the Palestinian and Syrian situations. While the King made the Palestinian problem the focal point of his discussions with Pompeo, emphasising the urgency of finding a solution on the basis of the two-state solution, the US official remained non-committed to this solution, leaving it to the parties to agree or disagree.

That was a disappointment. Yet, what emerged most prominently from the visit was the reiteration of the “strong and solid” relationship between Washington and Amman. This comes as an expression of confidence in Jordan’s important role at the regional level as well as an affirmation of the US support for Jordan’s stability and security.