The Trump administration is working on a post-war strategy focused on a regional effort to contain Iran and expand normalization of relations between Israel and its neighbors, according to two U.S. officials and two other sources with knowledge of the issue. Why it matters: While the plan is still in the early stages of drafting, it's intended to guide the U.S. approach in the Middle East after the Iran war ends and in the final two years of Trump's term. Two other big events loom over the planning: the Oct. 27 elections in Israel and the U.S. midterm elections in November. Behind the scenes: The initial work on the strategy is taking place both at the senior political level of the Trump administration and at the working level across…
America’s friends and adversaries alike believe the U.S. president can’t be trusted. The post Trump’s Broken Deals Make Foreign Policy Difficult appeared first on The American Conservative .
Foreign Affairs Trump’s Broken Deals Make Foreign Policy Difficult America’s friends and adversaries alike believe the U.S. president can’t be trusted. Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney took to the airwaves on August 22 to explain in a speech and Q&A why he walked away from trade negotiations with the United States and thereby opened Canada to economy-crushing tariffs from the country once considered its closest friend. Carney gave three key reasons. The U.S. proposal, Carney said, demanded compromises on the protection of Canadian culture and the French language,…Open
President Trump’s administration sent a nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia that would allow the kingdom to enrich uranium to Congress this week, kick-starting a congressional review process required under the Atomic Energy Act. However, President Trump’s retroactive condition for the deal — that it will only move forward if Saudi Arabia joins the Abraham Accords — has not changed, an administration official told The Hill on Wednesday. Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/defense/6052862-trump-sent-saudi-nuclear-deal-congress/ #SaudiArabia #Trump #AbrahamAccords #Nuclear #Congress
If not for Israel’s veto power over U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, the Trump administration might have secured peace in Gaza, stabilized relations with Iran, and clinched a deal with Saudi Arabia to help build a nuclear program for the kingdom. OK, that last “opportunity” deserved a hard pass, unless you reckon nuclear […] The post Israel Vetoes Trump in the Middle East—Again appeared first on The American Conservative .
Foreign Affairs Israel Vetoes Trump in the Middle East—Again The special relationship undermines American sovereignty. Photo by Maâayan Toaf (GPO) / Handout / Anadolu via Getty Images If not for Israel’s veto power over U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, the Trump administration might have secured peace in Gaza, stabilized relations with Iran, and clinched a deal with Saudi Arabia to help build a nuclear program for the kingdom. OK, that last “opportunity” deserved a hard pass, unless you reckon nuclear proliferation in the world’s most volatile region somehow serves U.S. interests. But in journalism,…Open
Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with Donald Trump in the Oval Office Tuesday for the eighth time since the president returned to office. But the Israeli prime minister arrives at the White House weaker and less influential than the previous seven times. Why it matters: On Feb. 28, Trump and Netanyahu went to war together and it looked like there was no daylight between them. But exactly five months later, their interests have diverged more than ever — and bad blood and frustration have deepened as they've grown suspicious of each other's intentions. Driving the news: Netanyahu's visit comes several days after Trump paused U.S. strikes in Iran and announced his envoys are trying — again — to negotiate a deal with the Iranian regime. -…
A new nonproliferation standard for Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the Middle East nuclear fuel cycle
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The United States faces two nuclear questions in the Middle East that have quietly fused into one. The first is whether Iran, after years of escalation, concealment, and enrichment far beyond any civilian need, will be permitted to retain a domestic enrichment capability under a negotiated ceiling. The second is whether Saudi Arabia will receive American civil-nuclear cooperation on terms that permit — or leave the door open to — sovereign enrichment and reprocessing. These are not separate files. Iran sets the precedent; Saudi Arabia is the test case; the rest of the region is watching. The proper American position is not simply no bomb. It is no sovereign fuel-cycle pathway —no domestic enrichment and no…Open
Trump and Netanyahu will be talking about the conflict in Iran, efforts to expand the Abraham Accords, and the framework agreement for peace in Lebanon.
President Trump will speak from the White House on Friday afternoon as the administration marks a major milestone in expanding domestic nuclear energy, The announcement comes just over a year after Trump signed four executive orders seeking to quadruple the nation’s nuclear power, including making cutbacks to health and environmental considerations. The president will be joined by Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, nuclear energy executives and other administration officials. The event also comes amid the controversial U.S.-Saudi Arabia nuclear deal announced this week. Trump, however, said the terms are conditional on the nation normalizing relations with Israel as part of the Abraham Accords. #trump…
