Last week’s visit by John Kerry, US Secretary of State, to the region was meant to reassure America’s closest Arab allies of Washington’s support and understanding of their positions on key issues including Iran, Syria and the Palestine question. It is too early to say if his mission was a success. For the first time in decades, America’s relations with major allies, such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt, have come under pressure. The perception in Riyadh is that the US is shifting away from fundamental issues and that the Obama administration’s new approach to the region risks damaging historical ties.

Not so says Kerry, whose first stop was Cairo. It was an unscheduled visit, the first by a senior US official since the July 3 military takeover which unseated former president Mohammad Mursi. Kerry urged the provisional government to speed up transition to democratic rule and said Egyptians were following the right path. His remarks were meant to pacify the military rulers and send a message that the controversy that surrounded Mursi’s ouster was over. His visit came a day before the beginning of the trial of Mursi and Muslim Brotherhood leadership, a subject which Kerry never raised.

Kerry’s praise of the new regime in Egypt was also meant to assure the Saudis. Riyadh is one of the key supporters of the military-backed government in Cairo. His visit to Egypt should have ended speculations about Washington’s controversial relationship with the region’s Islamists, especially the Muslim Brotherhood.

In Riyadh, Kerry’s fence-mending mission continued with high-level meetings with Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal and King Abdullah. The Secretary of State praised mutual relations and promised to step up consultations with the Saudis. On Iran, he assured them that the US will never allow Tehran to develop nuclear weapons. And on the Syrian crisis he said that President Bashar Al Assad had lost all legitimacy and can never be part of the future of Syria. He said that United States considers the Kingdom a major partner and regional power and reiterated that America remains committed to strong support of Egypt.

But it is too early to say if Riyadh’s rare show of anger and frustration over the United States and the United Nations has abated. Last month the Saudis declined to take their seat as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in protest over the international organisation’s failure to end the war in Syria and resolve the Palestinian issue. And last week Saudi Arabia’s envoy to the UN called for an overhaul of the Security Council. Earlier, the Kingdom’s intelligence chief warned of a “shift away” from Washington.

Despite this it will be difficult for both countries to drift away from each other. The 70-year-old alliance between Riyadh and Washington had withstood the tests of many regional crises. The worst happened 40 years ago when Saudi Arabia imposed an oil embargo against the West in support of Egypt and Syria who waged war against Israel in October 1973.

Today the Saudis are frustrated over Obama’s lack of resolve on the Syrian issue. Riyadh had hoped that the US would intervene militarily against the regime or provide sophisticated weapons to the rebels who are seeking to depose Al Assad. They are weary of the recent US-Russian agreement to hold a peace conference in Geneva. They agree with the opposition that President Bashar Al Assad should play no part in Syria’s future, a position that most Arab countries support as well. They do not share the view that Iran should be invited to the conference.

In addition, Riyadh views the recent thaw in US-Iran relations with suspicion. Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies believe that the Iranian threat to the region is genuine and should not be taken lightly. They see Tehran leading a Shiite onslaught against Sunnis stretching from Iraq to Syria and from Lebanon to Yemen. Prince Al Faisal told Kerry that Syria is occupied by Iran and Hezbollah and that the Iranians cannot be expected to attend the Geneva conference.

Such views are shared by the Syrian opposition as well as by other GCC countries. The Saudi role in supporting the Syrian uprising is important and their position on the Geneva conference will carry weight.

The Saudis are also frustrated over the inability of the Americans to contain Israel’s colonies expansion in the occupied territories when peace negotiations with the Palestinians are going on. Saudi Arabia had proposed an Arab peace initiative in 2002 and reiterated support for it again recently. But the initiative was never officially adopted by the US while Israel has rebuffed it. In Israel, Kerry reaffirmed the old position that the colonies are illegal and urged Tel Aviv to strike a deal with the Palestinians.

These three issues: Syria, Iran and Palestine, will come again to test US-Saudi relations as well as US-Arab ties in the broader sense. On all of them there will be disagreements as the US pushes to reach some sort of a deal that may not appease its Arab allies. Already America’s regional allies are nervous about the outcome of talks between the international community and Iran over the latter’s nuclear programme. The Israelis are opposed to any deal with Tehran. Riyadh’s position might not be much different.

There are signs that Washington’s approach on regional issues will create further disagreements. Kerry’s fence-mending mission may have worked for now, but tough and substantial challenges lie ahead.

Osama Al Sharif is a journalist and political commentator based in Amman.