US sway over Middle East weakening

US Secretary of State John Kerry's second visit to the Middle East in a month - and the eighth since assuming office in March - shows Washington still spends a lot of its energy in trying to resolve the issues gripping the region, which incidentally is not conducive to its "pivot to Asia" strategic policy.

On top of the to-do list of Kerry, who flew into the Middle East on Friday, is to make Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agree to a coordinated stance on the Iranian nuclear issue because Israel is apparently unhappy with the progress made on the issue. Before the new round of talks between Iran and the P5+1 began in Geneva on Wednesday, Israel had argued that Western powers should intensify, instead of easing, the sanctions on Iran to achieve a better deal.

As the closest US ally in the Middle East, Israel holds a lot of sway in American policy toward Iran. But its hard-line stance could undermine international efforts to achieve a breakthrough in the long-standing Iranian nuclear issue.