U.S. President Joe Biden is postponing his scheduled visits to Israel and Saudi Arabia until July, NBC News reports.
Previous reporting indicated that the 79-year-old's trip to the Middle East was being organized for late June, but the White House has yet to officially confirm specific dates for a presidential swing to the region.
It would have taken place after Biden's scheduled visit to Germany and Spain later this month.
However, the White House is now planning a "broader trip to the Middle East," a senior Biden administration official told NBC News.
“We are working on a trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia for a GCC+3 Summit,” the source said, referring to the Gulf Cooperation Council which features Israel's allies Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. “We are working to confirm dates. When we have something to announce, we will.”
Biden on Friday confirmed that he was visiting Saudi Arabia as part of a wider tour of the region but did not specify the dates.
A visit to Saudi Arabia would be a stark about-face for the American leader after calling for the kingdom to be made a pariah state over the 2018 assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi which has been tied to the Saudi leadership and in light of his strained ties with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.
"I'm not sure when I'm going," Biden said when asked about reports of an imminent visit. "There is a possibility that I would be going to meet with both the Israelis and some Arab countries at the time."