Amid the whirlwind of announcements, threats and theatrics that have marked Donald Trump's return to the White House, the Middle East has not been forgotten. Trump only waited a handful of days before he made the expected shows of allegiance to a pro-Israeli line, following on from the one he had upheld in his first term in office (2017-2021). Indeed, the first foreign leader expected in Washington is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on Tuesday, February 4.

Yet Trump has also said that he was open to negotiations with Iran, Israel's arch-enemy. The scope of these negotiations still remains to be clarified: Would they only concern Iran's nuclear program, whose progress is alarming, or also its ballistic missile arsenal and broader regional security?

During his presidential campaign, Trump promoted the idea of putting "maximum pressure" on Tehran, primarily economic pressure, and promised to prevent Iran's regime from gaining access to the nuclear bomb. His readiness to negotiate is, therefore, a notable but fragile sign of openness, coming from the man who had withdrawn the US from the Iran nuclear deal (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action – JCPoA), in 2018, three years after the deal was signed.

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