Trump planning ‘something much bigger’ for the Middle East after Iran war

Donald Trump is working on “something much bigger” for the Middle East after the war with Iran, according to an Axios report citing two U.S. officials and other sources. The initiative forms part of a broader strategy the administration is developing for the period after the conflict and for the final two years of Trump's second term.

The emerging plan would seek to contain Tehran's regional influence while expanding efforts to normalize relations between Israel and its neighbors. Trump has held two meetings with senior advisers in recent weeks to discuss the initiative and raise ideas, the officials said. Work is taking place both among senior political figures and across government agencies.

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Something much bigger

Axios identified three possible pillars. The first would build an alliance among U.S. allies in the Gulf to contain Iran, with Washington acting as guarantor. The second would seek to bring the regional fallout from the October 7, 2023 attacks closer to an end by securing the next phase of Trump's Gaza plan, reaching a security agreement between Israel and Syria, and implementing the Israel-Lebanon agreement.

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In recent weeks, the President has held two meetings with senior advisers to discuss the plan and raise ideas. In private conversations, he has said he is working on ‘something much bigger’ in the Middle East after the war with Iran.

The third would expand the Abraham Accords and pursue normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel. Officials said two elections could shape the process: Israel's Knesset election in October and the U.S. midterms in November. They viewed the Israeli vote as more significant, particularly because Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently projected to lose.

Some U.S. officials said Trump would pursue the strategy regardless of the Israeli result, including a possible political stalemate. A source briefed on the process said finalizing the plan could take “another few weeks.” The source described the strategy as still unfinished and said it remained unclear whether all U.S. allies in the region would support it.

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They are cooking it, but it is not yet cooked. 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 US allies in the region will be on board.