Trump administration races to fill key diplomatic posts in the Middle East
Many countries in the region including Saudi Arabia are without confirmed ambassadors. The Trump administration’s nominee to be ambassador to Saudi Arabia argued that Washington’s civilian nuclear deal with Riyadh was critical to ensuring the kingdom did not turn to China, and added that normalization of its ties with Israel was “part of the negotiation process.” Speaking yesterday during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing for US President Donald Trump’s ambassadorial nominees for Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Kuwait, the pick for ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, insisted that “we cannot let perfection be the enemy of great,” warning that without US involvement, Washington would have “absolutely no say” over the program’s direction. The hearing was part of efforts by Republicans to secure confirmations for key diplomatic posts before the new Congress takes office in January. The Trump administration has been slow to appoint envoys to posts in the Middle East: Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE remain without confirmed US ambassadors. Hunt called the US-Saudi relationship the “cornerstone of regional security and prosperity,” pledging to deepen
Many countries in the region including Saudi Arabia are without confirmed ambassadors. The Trump administration’s nominee to be ambassador to Saudi Arabia argued that Washington’s civilian nuclear deal with Riyadh was critical to ensuring the kingdom did not turn to China, and added that normalization of its ties with Israel was “part of the negotiation process.” Speaking yesterday during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing for US President Donald Trump’s ambassadorial nominees for Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Kuwait, the pick for ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Rep.
Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, insisted that “we cannot let perfection be the enemy of great,” warning that without US involvement, Washington would have “absolutely no say” over the program’s direction. The hearing was part of efforts by Republicans to secure confirmations for key diplomatic posts before the new Congress takes office in January. The Trump administration has been slow to appoint envoys to posts in the Middle East: Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE remain without confirmed US ambassadors.
Hunt called the US-Saudi relationship the “cornerstone of regional security and prosperity,” pledging to deepen the partnership through expanded trade, investment, and defense cooperation. He was also pressed over previous remarks portraying Islam as seeking to infiltrate and take over other countries. While saying those views did not represent “every Muslim,” he maintained that “there certainly is a faction to where that is absolutely correct.” Separately, Trump’s Egypt nominee, Nick Oberheiden, pledged to work with Cairo to advance the administration’s Gaza peace plan, stabilize Libya, and address Sudan’s humanitarian crisis.
Asked about Egypt’s crackdown on press freedom, he said he would pursue private, sustained dialogue with Cairo, seeking “concrete and verifiable information” without public denunciation or lecturing. On Monday, Trump also nominated former Kansas Gov. Jeffrey Colyer to be ambassador to the UAE, which has been without a US envoy since August 2025.