Joe Biden told a summit of Arab leaders on Saturday that the US "will not walk away" from the Middle East to leave "a vacuum to be filled by China, Russia or Iran".
The US President set out his strategy to contain Iran's nuclear ambitions, further isolate Moscow, integrate Israel in an alliance of countries against Tehran and boost oil supplies to reverse rising gas prices caused by the war in Ukraine.
"The United States is invested in building a positive future in the region, in partnership with all of you, and the United States is not going anywhere," he said at the end of a four-day tour of the Middle East held amid fears over Iran's support for militants in the region.
"We will not walk away and leave a vacuum to be filled by China, Russia or Iran," Biden said at the Gulf Co-operation Council summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The Biden administration appears to be using the growing ties between Russia and Iran – Saudi Arabia's regional nemesis – to encourage Gulf countries to get behind the US in an alliance against Moscow and forge a closer relationship with US ally Israel.
Hours before the summit, the White House released satellite imagery that indicates Russian officials have twice recently visited Iran to see weapons-capable drones it is looking to acquire for use in its war in Ukraine.
A senior Biden administration official said Moscow's efforts to acquire drones from Tehran show that Russia is "effectively making a bet on Iran".
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said that the administration has "information that the Iranian Government is preparing to provide Russia with several hundred UAVs" – which are unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones.
On Friday, Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian told his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, the reports were baseless.
None of the six Gulf states or Egypt, Jordan and Iraq, have moved in lockstep with Washington on sanctions against Russia.
Egypt, for example, remains open to Russian tourists and the UAE is a haven for Russian billionaires.
On Saturday, Biden met individually with the leaders of Iraq, Egypt and the UAE, some of whom he was meeting for the first time since taking office.
The summit followed Biden's controversial Friday meeting with Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, the heir to the throne currently held by his father, King Salman.
The US believes the Crown Prince was personally responsible for orchestrating the gruesome murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. He has denied responsibility for ordering the murder.
Biden came into criticism for fist-bumping Bin Salman despite having said three years ago that Khashoggi's murder should result in Saudi Arabia becoming a "pariah state".
Joe Biden was criticised for fist bumping Bin Salman despite saying the murder of a journalist should result in Saudi Arabia becoming a "pariah state". Photo / Getty Images
Biden's visit hailed as triumph in Saudi Arabia
The visit was held up as a triumph in Saudi Arabia, with footage of the greeting played on repeat on state television and images plastered over the front pages of newspapers.
Local press coverage on Saturday claimed that the kingdom's approach had forced the US to change its position and pro-government pundits were quick to celebrate Biden's trip.
"He not only descended from the airplane but descended from his delusions and arrogance and became a lesson for any incoming US president and anyone who does not recognise the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a major power that cannot be ignored," one person said on Twitter.
In the US, images of the fist bump were used to portray Biden as someone who was betraying his principles.
The president was quick to tell reporters that he had personally challenged the Crown Prince over the murder, but the war of words escalated, with the Saudi Government saying Bin Salman had replied: "In the same year, similar regrettable incidents took place and other journalists were killed in other parts around the world.
"The United States also made a number of mistakes like the incident of Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and others."
Biden also announced $1 billion in US aid to alleviate hunger in the region and pressed his counterparts to ensure human rights, including women's rights, and allow their citizens to speak openly.
