Washington, DC – The Trump administration is developing a comprehensive post-war regional strategy for Iran, based on containing Tehran and expanding normalization between Israel and regional states, according to Axios, citing US officials and informed sources. While the plan is still in its early stages, it aims to guide US policy in the Middle East for the remainder of Trump’s term. Its development coincides with two key elections: Israel’s general election on October 27 and the US midterm elections in November.
Drafting levels and presidential meetings
The initial work on formulating the strategy is taking place at two main levels. The first involves the highest political levels within the US administration, while the second handles the executive branch across various government agencies. According to Axios sources, President Trump held two meetings with his senior advisors in recent weeks. During these meetings, the proposed ideas were discussed, and Trump reportedly said in private conversations that he is working on “something much bigger” in the Middle East after the end of the war with Iran.
Key elements of the proposed strategy
The proposed strategy includes a package of interconnected regional elements and issues, including: building a regional alliance: forming a coalition of Washington’s allies to contain Iran under direct US guarantees; addressing the Gaza Strip: ensuring the implementation of the next phase of Trump’s plan for Gaza; pursuing a security agreement between Israel and Syria, alongside ensuring the implementation of the existing agreement between Israel and Lebanon; and expanding normalization: pushing for the expansion of the Abraham Accords to strengthen normalization between Israel and countries in the region.
Political challenges and anticipation
The US administration hopes that any new Israeli government formed after the October elections will be willing to cooperate with the terms of this strategy. However, US officials emphasize that Trump is determined to proceed with his plan regardless of the outcome of the Israeli elections. One source familiar with the matter described the process as “cooking it up, but it’s not ready yet.” The source indicated that finalizing the plan will take several more weeks, amid questions about the extent to which all of Washington’s regional allies will respond and join this anticipated alliance.
