I. Congress
1) Legislation
Rep. Golden Spearheads Bill to Counter Foreign Influence in Government. On June 16, a bipartisan group of House members led by Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) introduced H.R.8106, a bill aimed at countering foreign contributions and lobbying in Washington. The bill would impose a lifetime ban on members of Congress and senior military officials from lobbying for foreign governments or political parties and would require tax-exempt groups like think tanks to disclose monetary gifts and donations from foreign powers. Additionally, it would require political campaigns to verify that donors have a valid US address. This bill comes as retired general John Allen is under investigation by the FBI for allegedly lobbying on behalf of Qatar. According to the Center for International Policy, the UAE and Qatar are among the top foreign donors to think tanks in Washington, DC.
2) Personnel and Correspondence
Senators Ossoff and Graham Address Security Post to Palestinians. On June 17, Senators Jon Ossoff (D-Georgia) and Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) led more than one third of their Senate colleagues in sending a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III urging him not to downgrade the US military liaison to the Palestinian Authority. The senators expressed concern that downgrading the position from a three-star general to a colonel could jeopardize cooperation with Palestinian security services and threaten security in the West Bank.
Reps. Tlaib and Maloney Advocate for MENA Category in US Census. On June 14, Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan) and Carolyn Maloney (D-New York) sent a letter to the Office of Management and Budget and the US Census Bureau advocating for a new Middle East and North Africa (MENA) category in US federal data collection. The letter argues that Middle Eastern people in the United States form a coherent group with strong social bonds and would best be represented by a separate MENA category, rather than being forced to record themselves as white in official documents, as they currently are. They also described the implications of a new census category for material resources, political representation, and research funding. Rep. Tlaib has attempted to address this issue in the past, accusing former Census Bureau Director Steve Dillingham in a 2020 meeting of effectively erasing Americans of Middle Eastern descent.
Senators and Representatives Condemn Potential Turkish Intervention in Syria. On June 15, the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senators Bob Menendez (D-New Jersey) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho), in conjunction with the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Gregory Meeks (D-New York) and Michael McCaul (R-Texas), released a statement condemning Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s recent threats of military action against Kurdish forces in northern Syria. The statement highlighted the negative impacts of previous Turkish military intervention in Syria, including disrupting the fight against the so-called Islamic State and exacerbating the country’s humanitarian crisis.
3) Hearings and Briefings
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Holds Hearing on Iran’s Nuclear Program. On June 15, the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations held a hearing on Iran’s nuclear program and US policy toward Iran. The hearing was led by Chairman Bob Menendez (D-New Jersey) and featured testimony by Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley and White House MENA Coordinator Brett McGurk. Tensions between the US and Iran have risen in recent months after negotiations over the program stalled, in part because the US opted to continue to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. Most senators present at the hearing expressed pessimism over the diminishing prospects of a strong nuclear deal with Iran, and some directed their criticism at the Biden Administration; Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida) said that there would be “no plan B” if nuclear talks fail, and Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) called White House strategy toward Iran an “absolute dumpster fire.” However, Senator Menendez said that the Biden Administration will likely continue indirect talks with Iran rather than pursue a full withdrawal.
House Homeland Security Committee Holds Hearing on Islamic State and al-Qaeda. On June 15, the House Committee on Homeland Security hosted a hearing on the current status of the Islamic State and al-Qaeda. The hearing was led by Chairwoman of the Intelligence and Counterterrorism Subcommittee Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Michigan) and included testimony from Acting Assistant Secretary for Counterterrorism and Threat Prevention Samantha Vinograd and several other government officials. Topics at the hearing included the two organizations’ current activities, issues with the US Visa Waiver Program, and a rise in the number of individuals on the terror watchlist being apprehended at the US border. Rep. Slotkin emphasized that IS and al-Qaeda remain dangerous threats to the US despite their receiving less media coverage than in the past.
II. Executive Branch
1) White House
Biden Announces Rescheduled Middle East Travel Plans. The White House released a statement on June 14 outlining President Biden’s new travel agenda for his first Middle East trip as president, which was originally slated for June but canceled due to scheduling conflicts. Biden will travel to Israel, the West Bank, and Saudi Arabia from July 13-16, attending a GCC summit and meeting with regional leaders to discuss US partnerships and security issues. In media statements, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said he predicts that Biden will help “integrate Israel into the Middle East” during his visit.
2) Department of State
Special Envoy Hochstein Mediates Lebanon-Israel Maritime Talks. On June 14, US Special Envoy for Energy Amos Hochstein met with Lebanese President Michel Aoun in Beirut to discuss a disputed maritime border with Israel. The Lebanese government recently objected to the presence of the Energean Power vessel, which is set to explore for gas in disputed waters as Israel develops the Karish gas field. Maritime border talks between the two countries stalled last year, after Beirut demanded that the border be pushed further south, which would expand its territory by 1,400 km, and would include part of the Karish gas field that Israel claims.
UN Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield Speaks on Yemen at Security Council Briefing. On June 14, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield spoke at a UN Security Council briefing on Yemen. Thomas-Greenfield expressed optimism about the recent ceasefire in Yemen but conceded that there is still “difficult work ahead.” She said that President Biden will make the war in Yemen a central topic during his visit to the Middle East in July and announced a congressional pledge to provide $10 million to Safer oil tank cleanup efforts in Yemen, urging the private sector to contribute as well. Finally, she expressed condolences for the death of Abdulhameed Al-Ajami, a retired employee of the US Embassy in Yemen who was detained by the Houthis along with 12 other US and UN employees, and who died in their custody.
DoS Expresses Support for Somalia. On June 13, Under Secretary for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland traveled to Somalia, meeting with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to express US support for counterterrorism efforts and reform in Somalia. Additionally, Nuland hosted a food security roundtable with UN officials and Somali leaders.
Assistant Secretary Leaf Meets with Israeli Leaders. Newly confirmed Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf traveled to Israel and Palestine from June 11-14, her first trip in office. Leaf visited Jerusalem and Ramallah, meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss Iran’s activities, Israeli-Palestinian relations, Palestinian economic prosperity, and Israel’s ties with other Middle Eastern countries.
Blinken and Lapid Discuss Israeli Affairs. In remarks at the American Jewish Committee’s Global Forum, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Yair Lapid discussed Israel’s relations with the Arab world, rising antisemitism worldwide, and the threat posed by Iran’s activities in the Middle East. Blinken also affirmed US commitment to creating “tangible improvements in the lives of Palestinians.” The forum also included UN Ambassadors from Israel, Bahrain, the UAE, and Morocco.
Nominee for USAID Middle East Role Criticized for Past Statements on Abraham Accords. President Biden has nominated Tamara Cofman Wittes, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Center for Middle East Policy, for the position of Assistant Administrator at USAID’s Bureau for the Middle East. At her Senate confirmation hearing on June 16, Wittes was questioned by several Republican senators regarding her criticism of the Abraham Accords. Wittes previously called the agreement a “triumph for authoritarianism” and a “betrayal of Palestinian interests,” but now claims to support the agreement and the changes it has brought to Israeli relations with the Middle East. Wittes was nominated for this position in July 2021, but her nomination has since stalled.
USAID Provides $105 Million in Aid for The Horn of Africa. On June 13, USAID announced that it will provide $105 million in humanitarian aid for the Horn of Africa in light of the drought afflicting the area. The region has experienced four consecutive poor rainy seasons, and the fifth is expected to be dryer than average, which experts anticipate will reduce crop output and cause up to 20 million people to require humanitarian assistance. The war in Ukraine is exacerbating the crisis, causing food import costs to rise dramatically, leaving countries like Somalia, which imports 70 percent of its grain from Ukraine, in a dire situation. The humanitarian aid provided by USAID will be used for food assistance, clean water, health and nutrition efforts, and protection for women and girls displaced by the drought.
3) Department of Defense
US-Led Operation Captures Senior IS Leader in Syria. On June 16, a US-led military raid in northern Syria captured Hani Ahmed al-Kurdi, a senior leader of the so-called Islamic State who is commonly known as the “Governor of Raqqa.” According to a spokesperson for the operation, al-Kurdi is known to be an “experienced bomb maker” and “operational facilitator” who was believed to be teaching others. US CENTCOM Commander, General Michael Erik Kurilla, said that the capture and detention of al-Kurdi “demonstrates our commitment to security of the region and to the enduring defeat of ISIS.”
US and UAE Naval Forces Begin Joint Exercises. On June 13, naval forces from the United States and the United Arab Emirates began a 10-day joint naval exercise—dubbed Iron Defender—in the waters of the Arabian Gulf. Some 600 US Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard personnel are participating in the exercise, which “focuses on maritime security operations, mine countermeasures, and harbor defense.”
4) Department of Treasury
Treasury Dept Sanctions Iranian Petrochemical Network. On June 16, the Department of the Treasury announced new sanctions on a network of Iranian petrochemical producers, along with several companies accused of illegally brokering Iranian petrochemical sales abroad. According to the Treasury, the companies targeted by the sanctions provide support to Triliance Petrochemical and Iran’s Petrochemical Commercial Company (PCC), both of which were sanctioned in 2020 in accordance with Executive Order 13846. Iranian companies implicated in the network include Marun Petrochemical, Kharg Petrochemical, and Fanavaran Petrochemical, whose collective sales amount to tens of millions of dollars. The sanctions also include several companies based in China and the UAE, including Keen Well International Limited, Teamford Enterprises Limited, and GX Shipping FXE.
