(CNN) During the conference on Middle East security this week, the United States staged a big diplomatic show and tried to rally the world behind the Trump administration's aggressive stance against Iran. Instead of unifying its allies under a common cause, however, the administration only highlighted the growing rift between the US and its Western European allies, and clumsily overshadowed the points of agreement regarding Iran.

The ministerial meeting in Warsaw also cast a bright spotlight on another diplomatic realignment in the Middle East, where it is increasingly evident that regional priorities are changing. Some Sunni Arab countries are more concerned about Iran than any other issue, which puts them on the same side as Israel, a country they have historically shunned -- at least in public.

Altogether, more than 60 countries participated in the conference co-hosted by Poland and the US State Department. But numbers alone don't signify a diplomatic triumph, and it's important to note key NATO allies like France and Germany sent only mid-level officials.

While the US was putting on its diplomatic road show, Russian President Vladimir Putin arranged his own counterprogramming. In the Russian resort city of Sochi, Putin hosted a more intimate group, discussing the future of Syria with the leaders of Turkey and Iran. The Sochi summit only exacerbated Europe's irritation with Washington. European leaders are fuming at Trump's sudden decision to pull US troops from Syria, leaving Russia, Iran and Turkey with a much freer hand to shape the country's future.