Scoop: Trump administration drafting post-war Middle East plan
The Trump administration is working on a post-war strategy focused on a regional effort to contain Iran and expand normalization of relations between Israel and its neighbors, according to two U.S. officials and two other sources with knowledge of the issue. Why it matters: While the plan is still in the early stages of drafting, it's intended to guide the U.S. approach in the Middle East after…
The Trump administration is currently drafting a comprehensive strategy for the post-war Middle East, with a particular focus on containing Iran and facilitating regional normalization of relations with Israel, according to multiple U.S. officials and other sources knowledgeable about the matter. This strategy is intended to guide the United States' approach in the Middle East once the Iran war concludes and during the final two years of Trump's presidency.
Two significant events are anticipated to influence the planning: the October 27 elections in Israel and the U.S. midterm elections in November.
The initial stages of strategy development are being conducted at both the senior political level and the working level across various agencies, with input from the Trump administration. President Trump has personally discussed the plan with senior advisers and has expressed interest in a more extensive Middle East strategy after the Iran war. The White House has not commented on the matter.
Three primary elements of the strategy have been proposed: establishing a regional alignment among U.S. allies to counter Iran, with the U.S. acting as a guarantor; pursuing a comprehensive approach to concluding the regional fallout from the October 7 attacks, which includes finalizing Trump's Gaza plan, establishing a security agreement between Israel and Syria, and implementing the Israel-Lebanon agreement; and expanding the Abraham Accords, aiming for a Saudi-Israeli normalization agreement.
The administration hopes that any newly formed Israeli government following the October 27 elections will be cooperative in the post-war strategy. However, U.S. officials emphasize that Trump will pursue the implementation of the strategy regardless of the election outcomes or the formation of a politically stalemate. It will take a few more weeks to finalize the strategy, according to a source familiar with the process.
The goal is to bring together various regional elements and create a cohesive alignment post-war, although it remains uncertain whether all U.S. allies in the region will support this approach.
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