Trump's security adviser to visit UAE this week

US National Security Adviser John Bolton will travel to the United Arab Emirates for talks this week.

Bolton's planned meeting comes as the UAE, Saudi Arabia and the US have increasingly sought to isolate Iran and it coincides with key meetings planned in Saudi Arabia.

Regional tensions have spiked since Donald Trump's administration reimposed sanctions against Iran after unilaterally pulling out of a multilateral 2015 nuclear accord signed with the Islamic republic.

Regional summits are planned on coming Thursday and



Friday in Mecca as Riyadh seeks to further isolate its regional rival Tehran.

The Trump administration has ordered non-essential diplomatic staff out of Iraq, citing threats from Iranian-backed Iraqi armed groups, and sent an aircraft carrier and heavy B-52 bombers to the region.

Trump announced the deployment of some 1,500 more soldiers to the Middle East last Friday, while his administration the same day bypassed Congress to sell USD 8.1 billion of arms to Saudi Arabia and other Arab allies.