TEHRAN – The White House’s periodic document outlining United States foreign policy and national security strategy was released by the Trump administration on Thursday. The 33-page document, which appears to draw heavily on Trump’s “America First” policy, has raised alarms in nearly every region of the world—with the probable exception of Israel.
One of its most controversial aspects is its confrontational approach toward Washington’s key allies in Western Europe. Trump argues that Europe faces “civilizational erasure” within two decades due to migration and EU integration, adding that the U.S. must “cultivate resistance” within the continent to counter “Europe’s current trajectory.”
Trump also reiterated a longstanding position from both his first and current term: that Europe must “take primary responsibility for its own defense” and open its markets to U.S. goods and services—a reference to the heavy tariffs he has imposed on numerous European countries.
These tariff policies have drawn significant criticism, with opponents arguing that by applying similarly forceful economic measures against both U.S. adversaries, such as China, and allies like Europe, the President renders the concept of alliances meaningless.
Also troubling to Europeans was the document’s assertion that Washington must pursue greater regional domination and secure “preeminence” in the Western hemisphere.
Regarding China, Washington’s foremost rival, the document calls for rebalancing trade—another nod to tariffs—and preventing China from “seizing” Taiwan.
The UN recognizes Taiwan as a province of China with no separate sovereign status, a position consistent with historical realities. While the U.S. officially professes respect for the One-China policy, it has continued to fund and fuel separatist activities on the island. Beijing says sovereignty is its big “red line”, meaning that a military confrontation would be inevitable if Washington persists with its provocations on Taiwan.
On Iran, the document contains only two references: one describing Iran as the most “destabilizing force in West Asia,” and another recalling the U.S. bombing of Iranian nuclear sites in June. Some may have expected more detailed Iran policy given sharply increased tensions over the past year, but according to Ehsan Kiani, an expert on North American affairs, the limited mention does not mean Iran is off Washington’s agenda.
“Iran was mentioned twice in the document. But that does not mean Iran and its allied Resistance forces in West Asia are unimportant to the Trump administration,” he explained.
Kiani noted that a key point concerning Iran is the U.S. commitment to pursuing peace “at the behest of Israel” and continuing to expand the so-called Abraham Accords. Those normalization agreements, initially involving the UAE, Sudan, Morocco, and Bahrain during Trump’s first term, nearly included Saudi Arabia under the Biden administration—though Riyadh’s normalization with Israel was postponed indefinitely following Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023.
The document also states the U.S. will reduce involvement in Israel’s internal affairs. “This decision largely stems from the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in Syria in 2024. With Israel now operating within Syria, it can manage the fight against Resistance groups more independently,” Kiani added.
However, reduced U.S. meddling also implies that remaining threats to Israel must be addressed directly—including Resistance groups in Lebanon, Gaza, Yemen, and Iraq, as well as Iran. “In the remainder of his term, Trump is likely to provide exceptional assistance to Israel to weaken Iran and the Resistance, similar to the June strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites with 13-ton bombs,” the expert stated.
That said, future U.S. attempts may not employ the same heavy-handed measures as the June bombing, which risked severe regional escalation given expectations of a far more forceful Iranian response. Instead, efforts are likely to involve assassination attempts, limited military aggressions against Yemen and Lebanon, and sustained economic, political, and diplomatic pressure on Iran, Kiani stated.
That probably means renewed negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, and a potential new agreement will remain unlikely.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: tehrantimes.com
