The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Monday approved the nomination of President Joe Biden's nominee Antony Blinken to serve as secretary of state.
The committee voted by 15 to 3 in favor of the nomination, according to Reuters.
This clears the way for Blinken's consideration by the full Senate as soon as this week.
During a confirmation hearing last week, Blinken told Senators that the Biden administration would not move the US embassy from Jerusalem.
The Secretary of State-designate also said he would consult with US allies regarding the possibility of re-entering a nuclear deal with Iran.
“If Iran comes back into compliance we would too,” Blinken said, adding his approach would be to use the return to the 2015 nuclear deal as a “platform” for a broader agreement.
Blinken, 58, was born to Jewish parents and has held senior foreign policy positions in two administrations over two decades.
In 2008, he was a member of the Obama-Biden presidential transition team. From 2009 to 2013 he served as Deputy Assistant to the President and National Security Advisor to the Vice President.
Blinken has in the past said that Biden believes in keeping the differences between allies away from the public eye.
He has also spoken in favor of the two-state solution and has said that Biden opposes “any unilateral action” including an Israeli application of sovereignty over Judea and Samaria.