Hosting Jordan's King Abdullah II, Trump says 'great progress' in Middle East

US President Donald Trump met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II in the White House on Monday, where he said "a lot of progress has been made in the Middle East" in recent weeks, apparently referring to Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt’s diplomatic tour in the region.

"It really started with the end of the horrible Iran deal, that deal was a disaster, and things are a lot different since we ended that, a lot different," Trump said, before heading off to a photo opportunity with the Jordanian leader.

King Abdullah II also met with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin on his visit to Washington where Jordan’s economic and political situation was discussed.

The Kingdom has experienced great turmoil lately due to its economic situation which resulted in the Jordanian Prime Minister’s resignation earlier this month.

Last week King Abdullah II hosted Kushner and Greenblatt whose diplomatic tour sought to refresh US focus on the Israel-Palestinian peace process, as well as seeking possible funding in the Gaza Strip.

“Building on previous conversations, they discussed increasing cooperation between the United States and Jordan, regional issues, the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and the Trump Administration’s efforts to facilitate peace between the Israelis and Palestinians,” the White House statement said following their meeting in Amman.

The two envoys also traveled to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar and ended their trip in Israel on Friday.

Although few details have been shared with the media about Trump’s peace plan, which is expected to be released in the near future, Trump said on Monday that the progress "started with the end of the Iran deal," in a reference to the US withdrawal of the 2015 nuclear deal.

Kushner, who serves as US President Donald Trump’s senior White House adviser, said in an interview with Palestinian newspaper Al-Quds that the US was ready to work with the Palestinians on reviving peace talks with Israel after a months long diplomatic freeze, and that a deal was in the works and would be unveiled "soon."

"The interview is part of the American administration's attempt to address the Palestinian people directly before presenting its peace plan," a US official told Israel's Channel 10.

However, the delegation did not meet with any Palestinian officials while in the region.

According to a readout of the interview provided by the White House, Kushner said that he is “ready to work with (Palestinian Authority) President (Mahmoud) Abbas, if he is willing.”

“You deserve to have a bright future, now is the time for both the Israelis and Palestinians to strengthen their leaderships and re-focus them to encourage them to open up towards a solution, and not fear trying,” he said.

King Abdullah II reiterated the need for a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders during his meeting with Kushner and Greenblatt last week, arguing that it is the only solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.