Former U.S. President Donald Trump's mold-breaking approach has reshaped decades of Middle East diplomacy, but his legacy in the troubled region has quickly come under attack from his successor.
From unexpected normalization deals with Israel, to a "maximum pressure" campaign on rival Iran, the businessman-turned-president changed the face of the Middle East.
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A Palestinian walks past a defaced mural painting of former US President Donald Trump on Israel's separation barrier, which divides the West Bank from Jerusalem
(Photo: AFP)
His close relations with autocratic heads of states and wealthy Gulf monarchies also personalized Washington's approach towards the strategic region which hosts thousands of U.S. troops.
Joe Biden promised to change all that.
In less than 10 days in the White House, the new president has already rolled back some of his predecessor's major moves, but analysts say many of the flurry of deals struck in the last weeks of the Trump administration won't - or shouldn't - be easily overturned.
Here is a look at what is at stake for Trump's Middle East legacy:
'Ping-ponging' Iran
On his first full day on the job, Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed the Biden administration wants to return to the 2015 nuclear deal trashed by Trump - but said it would only happen once Iran resumes its commitments.
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Anthony Blinken testifies before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on his nomination to be the next U.S. Secretary of State
(Photo: MCT)
Tehran has meanwhile called on Washington to first unconditionally lift sanctions, effectively dismantling the pressure campaign.
Observers say this ping-pong process exemplifies the difficulty in extricating the U.S. from Trump policies.
"The more the administration pursues the Iranians, the more the Iranians will pull back, in a bid to increase their leverage. Yet, the more the U.S. pulls back, the more the Iranians will try to force the U.S. to engage," said Jon B. Alterman from the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
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An Iranian clergyman stands next to missiles and army troops in an undisclosed location in Iran
(Photo: AP)
"We should not expect an easy return to negotiations, whatever the Biden team wants, and we should not anticipate that a supposedly wounded Iran will capitulate. Instead, we should anticipate a drawn-out process punctuated by crisis."
Arms sales
In a regional game-changer, the U.S. last year agreed to sell more than $23 billion worth of top-of-the-line F-35 fighter jets and drones to the United Arab Emirates, to reward its diplomatic recognition of Israel.
Trump also backed arms sales to Saudi Arabia, despite lawmakers' objections which were centered on the kingdom's poor human rights record.
The Biden administration has said it is "temporarily" freezing the deals "to allow incoming leadership an opportunity to review".
Experts say a halt would raise questions about a potential impact on the normalization deal with Israel, which Trump saw as a key foreign policy achievement.
Israel ties
Trump’s term saw a flurry of normalization deals between four Arab states and Israel. Most however were built on diplomatic quid pro quos, which makes them vulnerable in the Biden era.
Morocco's accord struck in December saw the U.S. back its rule over disputed Western Sahara. Despite hailing the peace deals, Biden has not committed to maintaining the recognition in the region, where tensions have simmered since the 1970s.
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L-R: Bahrain FM Abdullatif al-Zayani, PM Benjamin Netanyahu, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Emirati FM Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan at the signing of the Abraham Accords at the White House
(Photo: AFP)
For its part, Sudan signed the deal less than a month after the U.S. removed it from its "state sponsors of terrorism" blacklist.
The Biden administration should not jeopardize these agreements and should "forge even more", said Dennis Ross and Juan Zarate in an article for the Washington Institute.
"Although the instinct to make dramatic changes is understandable and sometimes correct, certain elements of Trump policy provide good opportunities for furthering Arab-Israel engagement."
Bridging the Gulf
After a three-year diplomatic row between a Riyadh-led quartet and Qatar that veered from frosty to furious, Gulf leaders met in Saudi Arabia two weeks before Trump's exit and agreed to restore relations.
Washington had intensified pressure for a resolution, insisting Gulf unity is necessary to isolate Iran.
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Trump shows a chart highlighting arms sales to Saudi Arabia during a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the White House
(Photo: AP)
However, the accelerated agreement failed to address any of the quartet's conditions to restore relations with Doha, which was accused of being too close to Tehran and financing extremists.
As a result, "intra-Gulf rivalries could continue to stoke conflicts and political tensions in the Middle East and Africa," said Elham Fakhro of the International Crisis Group.
Yemen's fate
Trump's administration designated the Iran-backed Yemen Huthi rebels as a terrorist organization just one day before Biden's inauguration, a move that raised fears it could jeopardize aid operations and put millions of lives at risk.
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A fighter loyal to Yemen's Huthi rebels stands guard next to a mural denouncing Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (R) and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
(Photo: AFP)
Biden's administration on Monday froze the decision for one month.
Blinken said one of his top priorities is addressing the war in Yemen, where U.S. ally Saudi Arabia has been bombarding the Huthis since 2015.
Travel ban
One of Trump's first moves was to ban access to the United States to all travelers from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, igniting international outrage and triggering domestic court battles.
On his first day, Biden lifted the measure, enabling many Middle Eastern families to visit their relatives for the first time in four years.