Ayman Safadi was in Washington for one week where he met with top US officials and lawmakers.

Al Arabiya reports that Jordan’s top diplomat touched down in Washington last week, where he held meetings with nearly all the top US officials in the Biden administration, making him the first Arab foreign minister to do so this year.

It was also his boss, King Abdullah II, who was the first Arab head of state to visit Washington and meet US President Joe Biden after he was elected.

Ties between Washington and Amman were reportedly strained under the Trump administration, but they have been noticeably bolstered over the last 12 months.

Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi met with his US counterpart, Antony Blinken, on Thursday and described the meeting as “excellent.”

Iran must stop interfering in Arab affairs

Asked about previous comments made by Jordan’s king about a Shia crescent being formed in the Middle East, Safadi said: “The king was speaking from a political point of view, not a sectarian or religious manner, about Iran’s role in the region and any policies that harm Arab interests.”

But Safadi said that all Arab partners want good ties with Iran.

“However, to reach… amicable ties, we must discuss the reasons for the [unstable] Arab-Iranian ties. One of the reasons is Iran’s interference in the Arab region, and this interference must stop in order to build Arab-Iranian ties,” he said.