Trump links hard‑line Iran posture with push for Gaza plan that would demilitarize Strip
President Donald Trump says the U.S. has identified infrastructure targets inside Iran if fighting resumes and is pressing Israel to implement his Gaza plan to disarm Hamas and shift control to a Palestinian technocratic administration, regardless of Israel’s next governing coalition.
U.S. policy in the Middle East is hardening on two connected tracks, with President Donald Trump talking openly about possible strikes on Iranian infrastructure while urging Israel to adopt his blueprint for post‑war Gaza.
Trump has said the United States has identified infrastructure targets inside Iran should military operations start again. In an interview with CNN, he argued that it is "very likely" no further action will be needed if Tehran signs what he called a very strong agreement, but added that he would order more strikes if necessary. He claimed Iran is collapsing economically and described U.S. military blows as severe, saying Washington could eliminate the country if required.
These comments signal that planning in Washington goes beyond limited strikes on proxy groups. Targeting infrastructure implies a list of key nodes inside Iran that could be hit if the conflict escalates, heightening the risk of a direct clash between states.
At the same time, Trump is leaning on Israel to move ahead with his Gaza plan. Reporter Barak Ravid said the president told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a Thursday phone call that with U.S. elections over, it was time to implement the Gaza peace plan. According to that account, Trump stressed that the process should proceed regardless of who forms the next government in Israel.
Separate reporting describes the proposal as centered on disarming Hamas, demilitarizing Gaza and handing governance to a Palestinian technocratic administration. Under that concept, control would not go to Hamas or to the Palestinian Authority in its current form, but to appointed Palestinian professionals. Foreign backers would likely have to finance such an authority and, in practice, help guarantee its security, while Israel would be expected to accept a reduced direct role once disarmament is complete.
Inside Israel, those ideas cut across ongoing political arguments. Some right‑wing factions oppose any limits on Israel’s freedom of action in Gaza and reject steps that look like a route back to Palestinian self‑rule, even in technocratic form. Other forces are more open to some international role and to alternative Palestinian governance but remain cautious over implementation and enforcement.
For Palestinians, the prospect of an externally designed technocratic administration raises different concerns: who selects its members, how they answer to local communities, and what disarmament would mean for their vulnerability to Israeli forces and to internal rivals.
The deportation of 14 foreign activists this week, reported by AFP, adds to that backdrop. Israeli authorities detained activists of American, Canadian and European nationalities on Friday while they accompanied Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest in the West Bank, then deported them. The move shapes how Palestinians and international supporters view outside involvement and monitoring on the ground.
The Iran and Gaza tracks connect through leverage. A U.S. administration that signals readiness to target Iranian infrastructure may feel it has more room to press Israel on contentious steps in Gaza. But the same stance also tightens the security climate from the Strait of Hormuz to the West Bank.
Indicators to watch include Tehran’s response to Trump’s talk of infrastructure targeting, public reactions by Netanyahu and his rivals to elements of the Gaza plan, and any U.S. effort to line up European or Arab governments to help staff or fund a technocratic administration. Movement on those fronts would show whether this strategy is moving beyond statements toward implementation.
Sources
- OSINT