Trump administration sees Iran talks as path to broader Middle East reset

Washington, June 22 (IANS) The Trump administration is presenting its new diplomacy with Iran as more than an effort to end a four-month conflict, arguing that the talks could open the door to a broader transformation of the Middle East and revive ambitions for a regional realignment that has remained elusive since President Donald Trump’s first term.

As Vice President JD Vance met Iranian officials in Switzerland on Sunday, senior administration figures described the negotiations as an opportunity to reduce regional tensions, prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and potentially expand the framework of cooperation established by the Abraham Accords.

“What the president has asked us to do is turn over a new leaf to transform our relationship with the people of Iran,” Vance said. He added that if Iran’s leadership abandoned regional instability and nuclear ambitions, the United States would be willing to “fundamentally transform our relationship with that country.”

The administration’s broader objective was outlined by US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz, who said the negotiations could create conditions for a fundamentally different regional order.

“We need to give peace a chance,” Waltz said. “Perhaps we can finally turn the page to a new Middle East, like President Trump did with the Abraham Accords his first term.”

Waltz pointed to growing security cooperation among America’s regional partners and said developments once considered unlikely were now becoming reality.

“No one would have thought, even a year ago that you’d have Israel and the UAE working together militarily to defend each other as a result of the next evolution of the Abraham Accords,” he said.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham also linked the Iran negotiations to a broader regional strategy that extends beyond the current talks.

“We’re going to expand the Abraham Accords in calendar year 2026,” Graham said during an interview on CBS.

He predicted that Saudi Arabia could eventually join the normalisation framework established between Israel and several Arab states during Trump’s first term.

“We’re going to get Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords,” Graham said, describing it as “the biggest change in 5,000 years in the Mideast.”

Graham argued that a diplomatic settlement with Iran could help create conditions for broader regional agreements.

“If we get a deal, Iran will be in a box,” he said. “If we don’t get a deal, Iran will be in a box.”

Administration officials have repeatedly argued that diplomacy backed by military pressure places Washington in a stronger position than previous negotiations with Tehran.

Waltz said the United States was negotiating from “a devastated Iranian economy” and “a devastated Iranian military” while remaining focused on preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

The vision being advanced by the administration faces significant obstacles. Critics have questioned whether the memorandum of understanding with Iran provides too many concessions upfront and whether Tehran can be trusted to honour future commitments. Some lawmakers have also expressed concern that Iran could use economic relief to rebuild military capabilities and support regional allies.

Nevertheless, administration officials maintain that the negotiations should be viewed as the opening stage of a larger diplomatic effort rather than a final settlement.

The Abraham Accords, brokered during Trump’s first term, established diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab countries, including the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. The agreements were widely viewed as one of the most significant diplomatic shifts in the region in decades.

–IANS

lkj/rs