President Donald Trump (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Trump said that the US could strike Pickaxe mountain, a heavily fortified facility where Iran is thought to be developing nuclear capabilities.
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
The Trump administration is developing a post-war Middle East strategy aimed at containing Iran, strengthening regional cooperation among US allies and expanding normalization agreements between Israel and its neighbors, two US officials and two other sources familiar with the effort told Axios.
The strategy remains in the early stages and is intended to shape US policy in the region after the Iran war ends and through the final two years of President Donald Trump’s term.
The Oct. 27 election in Israel and the US midterm elections in November are also factors in the planning.
Axios reported that Trump has said in private conversations that he is working on “something much bigger” in the Middle East after the Iran war.
One proposal calls for establishing a regional alignment of US allies designed to contain Iran, with Washington serving as a guarantor.
Another element would focus on resolving issues stemming from the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks.
That effort could include advancing the next phase of Trump’s Gaza plan, securing a security agreement between Israel and Syria and implementing the Israel-Lebanon agreement.
Officials are also considering a renewed push to expand the Abraham Accords, including an effort to reach a normalization agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
Work on the strategy is underway among senior Trump administration officials as well as at the working level across US government agencies, officials said.
Trump has met twice with senior advisers in recent weeks to discuss the emerging strategy and consider proposals, according to the sources.
Separately, Trump said Friday that the US could strike Pickaxe mountain, a heavily fortified Iranian facility where Tehran has allegedly been expanding its nuclear infrastructure.
The president reiterated that Iran would not be permitted to obtain a nuclear weapon.
“Iran will not have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said, before adding, “We may hit Pickaxe very soon…if there was anything going on with Pickaxe.”
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