Israel’s left-leaning Ha’aretz describes a “sense of anxiety,” being conveyed to the White House by Jerusalem and by the U.S.’s chief allies in the Arab world, regarding American diplomacy related to Iran and the Iranian regime’s nuclear program. Adel al-Jubeir – who is Saudi Arabia’s ambassador in Washington and who was two years ago himself the target of an Iranian assassination plot – has reportedly held several “tense” talks with U.S. officials in recent days on the issue.

The Iranian issue was also the focus of talks in recent days between Kerry and the foreign ministers of the UAE, Egypt, Jordan and Kuwait on the sidelines of the General Assembly. Each Arab foreign minister warned – much like Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – of a kind of Iranian honey trap that could ensnare the United States.

The dynamic was also outlined over the weekend in a New York Times article headlined “Israel and others in Mideast view overtures of U.S. and Iran with suspicion.” The copy elaborated that by “others” the Times was referencing among others the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, “the other Sunni-dominated gulf countries,” and prominent journalists and analysts across the region.

“There is a lot of suspicion and even paranoia about some secret deal between Iran and America,” said Jamal Khashoggi, a prominent Saudi journalist who is close to the royal family. “My concern is that the Americans will accept Iran as it is — so that the Iranians can continue their old policies of expansionism and aggression.”

[Photo: U.S. Department of State / Flickr]