Who is Joel Rayburn, Trump’s pick for head of Middle East affairs at State Department?

Veteran diplomat has years of experience in the region and served for 26 years in the US Army

Joel Rayburn is known for his hawkish views towards Iran and was critical of how former president Joe Biden handled the Israel-Gaza War. Victor Besa / The National

US President Donald Trump has nominated Joel Rayburn to serve as assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, the top Middle East position at the State Department.

Mr Rayburn, 55, is a military veteran and seasoned diplomat with years of experience in the region. He served in several roles during Mr Trump’s first term, including from 2018 to 2021, when he was US special envoy for Syria. In this role, he helped steer US policy with regard to the regime of former president Bashar Al Assad, who was ousted late last year.

He also served as senior director for Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon at the National Security Council at the beginning of Mr Trump’s first term.

Kenneth Pollack, vice president of policy at the Middle East Institute, called Mr Rayburn a "phenomenal" choice for the role.

"He's a brilliant guy. He knows the region incredibly well. He knows it as a former military officer who has deployed and fought there. He knows it as a diplomat. He knows it as a scholar," he told The National.

Before entering government, Mr Rayburn served in the US Army for 26 years. From 2013 to 2016, he headed the army’s Iraqi Freedom Study Group, where he helped to write a history of the Iraq War and the lessons learnt from it.

Outside of government, Mr Rayburn established the American Centre for Levant Studies, a think tank dedicated to promoting a better understanding of the US-Middle East relationship. He also served as a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank.

Mr Rayburn is known for his hawkish views towards Iran and was critical of how former president Joe Biden handled the Israel-Gaza War.

If confirmed by the Senate, he will take over a post previously held by Barbara Leaf.

While his expertise on the Middle East is highly regarded, it remains to be seen how much influence Mr Rayburn and the State Department will be allowed to have on regional policy.

"A question that I think we all have is, what issues are going to be left to State to take the lead on," Mr Pollack said. "As best I can tell, and I think this was true in the first administration as well, it seems like the way this administration is going to work is any issue the President is interested in is going to be entirely run by the White House, and it's going to be tough for State to play much of a role in it."

Mr Trump has said he wants to "take over" the Gaza Strip and permanently displace roughly two million Palestinians to neighbouring countries - an idea that has sent shock waves across the region.

If the State Department is allowed to not only carry out but also influence policy, Mr Pollack said it will be in capable hands with Mr Rayburn.