The I2U2 conference will be held next month in India, Israel, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates.

During his journey to West Asia from July 13 to 16, US President Joe Biden will host a virtual summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Israel Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

In a background call Tuesday, a senior US administration official informed reporters that the new grouping will be named "I2U2" — "I" for India and Israel and "U" for the US and the UAE.

When External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Israel in October 2021, the foreign ministers of the four nations met. It was known as the 'International Forum for Economic Cooperation' at the time. This time, the meeting will be held at the level of leaders of government/state, which is an advancement.

"The visit will also focus on Israel's increasing integration into the region, both through the Abraham Accords with UAE, Morocco, and Bahrain; through deepening ties between Israel, Jordan, and Egypt; and also an entirely new grouping of partners including Israel, India, UAE, and the United States — what we call I2U2," a US official said, while briefing on Biden's visit to Israel, Palestine, and Saudi Arabia next month.

"We see these measures as key to our approach of strengthening partners and pushing them to collaborate more closely, which will lead to a more stable region and, in the long run, to Israel's security and prosperity." Secretary Blinken visited with colleagues from Abraham Accord partners UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco, as well as Jordan and Egypt, only last month in the Negev in southern Israel, showcasing these strengthening regional cooperation," the official added.

"Importantly, some of these new partnerships extend beyond the Middle East," the official said. "In this regard, the President will hold a virtual summit with the I2U2 heads of state to discuss the food security crisis and other areas of cooperation across hemispheres where UAE and Israel serve as important innovation hubs."

"The President is looking forward to this unprecedented encounter with Israeli Prime Minister Bennett, Indian Prime Minister Modi, and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed," the official added.

The India-Israel-US-UAE grouping met for the first time under a new framework in October 2021 to discuss marine security, infrastructure, digital infrastructure, and transportation challenges. At the time, Ahmed Albanna, the UAE Ambassador to India, referred to the new organisation as the "West Asian Quad."

Since January 2021, the Biden administration has launched or upgraded several multilateral initiatives, including the Quad (India, the United States, Japan, and Australia), AUKUS (Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States), and a Quadrilateral dialogue with Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan.