During a press conference about US President Donald Trump�s recent trip to the Middle East, AFP journalist Dave Clark asked a department official why the US criticizes the Iranian elections and its record on democracy, but not Saudi Arabia.
"How do you characterize Saudi Arabia�s commitment to democracy, and does the administration believe that democracy is a buffer or a barrier against extremism?" Clark asked.
Stuart Jones, acting assistant secretary for Near Eastern Affairs, took a full 19-second pause before responding with a brief comment, saying that during this trip, the US made �significant progress with Saudi and GCC partners in both making a strong statement against extremism�.
Shadi Hamid ? @shadihamid
@DaveClark_AFP Good God. That's the longest pause I've ever seen from a us official
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Dave Clark ?@DaveClark_AFP@shadihamid It was pretty awkward being there, especially as I wasn't trying to embarrass Jones himself
11:22 PM - 30 May 2017
�Clearly, one source of extremism, one terrorism threat, is coming from Iran, and that�s coming from a part of the Iranian apparatus that is not at all responsive to its electorate,� Jones added.
