The US is ramping up diplomatic and security engagements in the Middle East, deploying high-level diplomacy to reshape alliances, increasingly sidelining Turkey in the process.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has launched a regional tour leading high-level talks, prioritising Israel, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states and overseeing the expansion of the India – Middle East – Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and the Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Riyadh. Meanwhile, Turkey, once a key US partner in both security and mediation, finds itself excluded from the process.

Rubio’s agenda centres on three key areas – facilitating peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Saudi Arabia, a role previously held by Turkey, advancing the IMEC trade corridor, which bypasses Turkey in favour of Saudi Arabia, Israel and Egypt, and strengthening US-Israel ties, including discussions on security and Gaza’s reconstruction.