WASHINGTON (VINnews) — The Trump administration has begun drafting a post-war Middle East strategy centered on containing Iran and expanding diplomatic normalization between Israel and its neighbors, according to two U.S. officials and two other sources familiar with the discussions.
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The plan remains in the early stages. Officials said it is meant to guide U.S. policy after the war with Iran ends and through the final two years of President Donald Trump’s term.
Two dates are already shaping the work: Israel’s Oct. 27 election and the U.S. midterm elections in November.
According to the sources, the emerging strategy has three main elements.
The first is a regional alignment of U.S. allies to contain Iran, with Washington acting as guarantor.
The second is an effort to wind down the regional fallout from the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks. That would include the next phase of Trump’s Gaza plan, a security agreement between Israel and Syria, and implementation of the existing Israel-Lebanon agreement.
The third is an expansion of the Abraham Accords, including a push for Saudi-Israeli normalization.
Initial work is underway both at the senior political level and across U.S. agencies. Trump has held two meetings with senior advisers in recent weeks in which the plan was discussed and ideas were raised, the sources said.
In private conversations, Trump has described the effort as “something much bigger” in the Middle East after the war with Iran.
The White House declined to comment.
A source briefed on the process said it will take several more weeks to produce a draft. “They are cooking it, but it is not yet cooked,” the source said.
“The idea is to tie a whole lot of things in the region together — how you create a regional alignment after the war. It is still unclear if all U.S. allies in the region will be on board,” the person added.
Administration officials hope any new Israeli government formed after the Oct. 27 election will be willing and able to cooperate. Some U.S. officials said Trump intends to push the strategy forward regardless of the election outcome, including if the vote produces a political stalemate.
The reporting was first published Friday by Axios correspondent Barak Ravid.
Normalize the illegal invasion of Iran by containing and restraining Israel. That is the correct way to read the news.
A post-war plan that focuses on containing Iran and expanding normalization between Israel and its neighbors seems like a sound strategy for regional stability. The Abraham Accords showed what is possible when nations prioritize peace and economic cooperation. Any effort to build on that success, especially with Saudi Arabia, would be a major step forward. The challenge will be getting all parties aligned, given the complex dynamics in the region. It is a big task to tie so many pieces together.