US Monitor: Trump may launch a tough campaign against the Houthi militia in Yemen

The American website " Al-Monitor " expected that US President Donald Trump's team would seek to launch a strict campaign against the Houthi militia in Yemen, whose continuous attacks have complicated shipping and transportation routes, leading to higher costs in Egypt and elsewhere.

The site's analysis said that Trump is already shaking up Middle East diplomacy regarding Iran, noting that Tehran is making intensive diplomatic efforts to avoid imposing severe sanctions on it, as part of an expected campaign of maximum pressure.

He pointed out that US President-elect Donald Trump is raising expectations regarding US diplomacy in the Middle East, even though he has not yet taken office.

The analysis said that the United States' partners in the region are optimistic about Trump's return, and they may not say so explicitly, due to diplomatic niceties, but this is the prevailing feeling behind closed doors.

For its part, Iran is making strenuous diplomatic efforts to avoid tightening sanctions as part of an expected campaign of maximum pressure under the Trump administration.

When President Joe Biden took office in 2021, he made a top priority of reaching a new nuclear deal with Iran, including easing Trump-imposed sanctions as an “appetizer.” In return, Iran expanded its nuclear program and stepped up its “resistance” game through its proxies in Lebanon, Yemen, and elsewhere.

Since Trump’s election, Iran has made clear, through official and diplomatic channels, that it wants de-escalation on all fronts.

According to the site, the Trump administration may reconsider its policy toward Iraq. Biden has supported Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, but the real power lies in a political coalition that leans heavily toward Iranian-backed groups that have taken control of Iraq’s security and energy sectors.

Trump’s election has put the pro-Iranian Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) in Iraq under scrutiny. The incoming administration also expects Iraq to finally open up its energy sector to American companies, given American investment there over the past two decades. There is likely to be less tolerance for China-friendly, Iran-influenced contract terms once Trump takes office.

Both Trump and Netanyahu will prioritize extending the Abraham Accords to Saudi Arabia. This may not come easily or quickly, as the kingdom has demanded that a Palestinian state be part of the deal. Netanyahu’s hardline right-wing coalition partners want to annex territory at the expense of statehood. Here, too, the “art of the deal” will be at play.

In September, Trump said he wanted to reach a deal with Iran because of the consequences for the region of not reaching a deal — including the possibility of Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon.

His approach to Iran will be results-driven, and it will be implemented with priority and urgency. Unlike his predecessor, the Trump team will not settle for inconclusive meetings and unfulfilled promises from Iran about its nuclear program and its regional proxies. It is all about peace through strength.

The analysis predicted that negotiations, if they happen, would be subject to coercion, or the threat of coercion, for Iran. This is already a possibility, two months before the official transition. Elon Musk’s meeting last week with Iran’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Amir Saeed Iravani, likely laid out the stark choices facing Tehran under Trump.