Washington DC

30 June 2023; MEMO: The US State Department, on Thursday, condemned the burning of a copy of the Quran in Sweden but said it demonstrates, by the issue of a permit, the support for freedom of expression, Anadolu Agency reports.

State Department spokesperson, Matthew Miller, said at his press briefing that the US is "deeply concerned by the act," but supports freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly as elements of democracy.

26 June 2023; MEMO: The United States informed Israel yesterday it will halt all funding towards scientific and technological research cooperation projects taking place in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and Syrian Golan Heights.

The decision reverses a policy imposed by the Trump administration in 2020 that enabled US taxpayer funding to be used for science and technology projects in the settlements for the first time since 1967.

27 June 2023; MEMO: The United States will test Palestinian-Americans' freedom of travel in Israel next month as part of preparations for proposed US visa exemptions for Israelis, an official briefed on the preparations said on Monday, Reuters reports.

Israel has satisfied some conditions for the US Visa Waver Program (VWP), to which it hopes to be admitted by October.

26 June 2023; MEMO: The US administration has requested the provision of $1.45 billion in annual aid to Jordan for fiscal year 2024, in line with the Memorandum of Understanding on Strategic Partnership concluded in September 2022.

26 June 2023; MEMO: The US administration called on Sunday for Israel to investigate the recent settler "riots and terror" in Palestinian villages and prosecute the perpetrators, Israel's Army Radio has reported.

The US Advisor on National Security Affairs, Jake Sullivan, is said to have spoken on the telephone with his Israeli counterpart Tzachi Hanegbi and discussed the settler violence against the Palestinian villages.

15 June 2023; MEMO: The US yesterday announced that it is requesting Israel provide it with further information after the military said no criminal charges will be filed against soldiers who killed an 80-year-old Palestinian-American last year during a raid in the occupied West Bank.

16 June 2023; MEMO: Iran test-fired a suicide drone targeting its practice ship in the Gulf, and fired a missile or another drone without warning ships in the area, Reuters reported, citing a US official in the region.

The official added that the drone was launched on Wednesday from the Iranian Jask region 8-9 miles in to the sea within Iranian territorial waters and targeted the training barge.

14 June 2023; MEMO: The US House of Representatives passed a bill yesterday that mandates the Biden Administration to appoint an envoy for the Abraham Accords to help advance Israel's normalisation with Arab States, particularly with Saudi Arabia.

The bill, which was first introduced in February, would create a Special Envoy for the Abraham Accords with the rank of ambassador who would be appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate.

14 June 2023; MEMO: The administration of US President, Joe Biden, has quietly recommenced negotiations with Iran to secure the release of American prisoners and curb Tehran's nuclear program, according to a report Wednesday, Anadolu Agency reports.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the US approved the release of €2.5 billion ($2.7 billion) held by Iraq for Iranian electricity and gas imports, citing those close to the discussions.

13 June 2023; MEMO: The United States and Iran are not discussing an interim nuclear deal, a US official said on Monday, but Washington has told Tehran of steps that might trigger a crisis and also those that may create a better climate between the long-time antagonists, Reuters reports.

"There are no talks about an interim deal," said the US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.