American Warning to the Middle East: No Cooperation with Two Countries!

Dana Stroul, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, warned Middle Eastern countries against security cooperation with Russia and China, stating that such actions threaten the sovereignty of these nations and undermine their relationship with the United States. During a virtual meeting held by the Middle East Institute on Tuesday, she said: "It is clear that some countries and partners want to sidestep the United States by building closer cooperation with the Chinese or Russians, particularly in the security and military realms... I just want to warn them again: there is a point at which that turns into a strategy that will not only jeopardize your cooperation with the United States but also endanger your national sovereignty." She added that the choice between cooperating with China and Russia or coordinating with the United States should be "clear" for Middle Eastern countries.