U.S. Drafts Postwar Iran Containment Strategy for the Middle East

The U.S. government is drafting a postwar strategy to contain Iran, with a focus on rallying Middle Eastern countries and advancing normalization between those states and U.S. ally Israel, according to Jiemian News. Two U.S. officials and two other people familiar with the matter said the plan is still in an early stage and may take several more weeks to complete. The draft is said to have three main elements: building a regional front to contain Iran with the U.S. acting as a guarantor; pushing ahead with the second phase of the so-called Gaza peace plan to help Israel reach security arrangements with Syria and implement a ceasefire framework with Lebanon; and expanding the Abraham Accords to bring Israel into relations with more Arab states, especially Saudi Arabia. The plan is intended to guide U.S. Middle East policy in the final two years of President Donald Trump's term after the war ends. The report said the plan could be affected by Israel's October 27 election and the U.S. congressional midterm elections in November. It also noted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly rejected the Gaza peace plan, while Israeli forces continue strikes in Lebanon and Syria and have refused to fully withdraw from those countries.