The Telegraph: Trump’s policy of maximum pressure on Iran faces a major challenge
According to the Telegraph newspaper, diplomats and experts have warned that US President-elect Donald Trump’s maximum pressure policy on Iran is being challenged by partners in the Middle East who have lost confidence in the United States and are forging new relationships with the help of China.
The Telegraph explained that with Trump preparing to resume his position, the political landscape in the Middle East has changed dramatically, as the president-elect and his Gulf friends are no longer clearly in agreement on Israel or Iran.
Sources told The Telegraph that Trump may now find it more difficult to win regional support for his hard line against Tehran, especially if it comes with little or no pressure on Israel.
“What is causing panic in the Gulf states is that Trump has chosen many people who seem less inclined toward America First than Israel First,” said one Western diplomat.
The Telegraph commented on this by saying, “Saudi Arabia’s orbit gradually shifted away from Washington during Joe Biden’s presidency… Last year, it signed an agreement mediated by China to restore diplomatic relations with Iran”.
The Telegraph added that relations have improved since then.
Last month, the foreign ministers of the Gulf states met for the first time as a group with their Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araqchi.
At the same time, Saudi Arabia has escalated its criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman accusing the Israeli prime minister of committing genocide in Gaza, as it was a completely different story when Trump took office in 2016, and then came the Israeli war on Gaza and Lebanon.
Fears that the United States is encouraging Israeli escalation may be exaggerated.
Trump, whose instincts tend toward anti-interventionism and who speaks of his desire to make peace around the world, may put more pressure on Israel than Netanyahu is counting on, despite his rhetoric.
In this context, Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East department at Chatham House, a research institution concerned with international affairs, said, “Trump will continue the strong American approach towards Israel, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that the United States will take a proactive approach towards Iran as Netanyahu wants”.
“I would be surprised if Israel was given a blank check, because the danger of giving Israel a blank check doesn’t stop at Israel’s borders, as it will certainly extend throughout the Middle East, and I don’t think this administration wants to get involved in Middle East wars,” he said.
