WASHINGTON, Dec. 6, 2025 – In a sweeping reconfiguration of America's global posture, President Donald Trump's second-term National Security Strategy (NSS), released late Thursday evening, explicitly downgrades the Middle East from its decades-long position as a cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy. The 33-page document dedicates just two pages to the region, a sharp reduction compared to previous administrations, while elevating the Western Hemisphere as the primary theater for U.S. military and economic engagement. Analysts describe the shift as a pragmatic recognition of U.S. energy independence and a reduced threat environment, though critics warn it risks emboldening adversaries and straining ties with key allies.
The strategy comes after a year of intense U.S. involvement in the Middle East, including the 12-day Israel-Iran war in June and a Gaza ceasefire personally brokered by President Trump in October. The document argues that these events have significantly weakened Iran’s regional influence and created conditions for a more transactional, investment-focused American role in the Middle East.
"The days in which the Middle East dominated American foreign policy in both long-term planning and day-to-day execution are thankfully over, not because the Middle East no longer matters, but because it is no longer the constant irritant, and potential source of imminent catastrophe, that it once was," the NSS declares. It attributes this change to diversified global energy supplies and the shift from superpower confrontation to "great power jockeying" in which the United States holds the strongest position.
The document marks a notable evolution from Trump’s 2017 National Security Strategy, which heavily emphasized countering Iran. In the new version, Iran is mentioned only three times and is described as a "chief destabilizing force" now severely degraded by recent military setbacks.
A central pillar of the Middle East section is the June 2025 "Twelve-Day War" between Israel and Iran. The conflict began on June 13 when Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, striking more than 100 targets inside Iran, including military bases, missile production facilities, and nuclear sites at Natanz and Fordow. The attacks killed senior IRGC commander Hossein Salami and several key nuclear scientists. Iran responded with missile and drone barrages that caused dozens of deaths in Israel, while Hezbollah and the Houthis conducted limited supporting attacks.
The United States intervened decisively on June 22 with Operation Midnight Hammer, using B-2 stealth bombers and submarine-launched cruise missiles to strike deeply buried nuclear facilities. President Trump described the strikes as having "completely and totally obliterated" Iran’s nuclear program, though later Pentagon assessments concluded the attacks delayed it by one to two years rather than destroying it outright.
The war ended on June 24 with a U.S.-mediated ceasefire. Casualties exceeded 500 in Iran and 100 in Israel. Oil prices briefly surged 15 percent before stabilizing. Iranian leaders claimed a symbolic victory, while Israel declared the threat neutralized. By November, however, Iran announced it had rebuilt missile stocks to pre-war levels.
The NSS credits the strikes and Israel’s broader campaign against Iranian proxies for Iran’s "greatly weakened" posture. It lists enduring U.S. interests in the region as: preventing hostile control of energy supplies, keeping the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea open to navigation, stopping the export of terrorism to the United States or its homeland, and ensuring Israel’s security, an objective explicitly named.
On the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the document acknowledges it "remains thorny" but claims "progress toward a more permanent peace" has been achieved through the October Gaza ceasefire. That agreement, part of a 20-point plan advanced by President Trump, halted Israel’s military campaign after more than two years of fighting. It included the return of all living Israeli hostages and dozens of remains in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, and dramatically increased humanitarian aid flows into Gaza. Phase Two, focusing on postwar governance and reconstruction under a new regional oversight board that excludes Hamas, is expected to be announced before Christmas.
Regarding Syria, the strategy expresses cautious optimism that, with coordinated American, Arab, Israeli, and Turkish support, the country can stabilize and reemerge as a constructive regional player.
The document explicitly calls for an end to past U.S. practice of "hectoring" Gulf monarchies on internal governance, arguing that lecturing allies has been counterproductive. Instead, it encourages "organic" domestic reforms while framing the region as a future hub for investment in nuclear energy, artificial intelligence, defense technology, and other high-growth sectors beyond oil and gas.
As domestic energy production continues to rise, the strategy predicts the Middle East’s strategic weight in American planning will further diminish, freeing resources for priorities closer to home, particularly countering Chinese influence in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Reaction has been mixed. Some foreign-policy realists praise the focus on core interests and the rejection of nation-building. Others express concern that downplaying the region could create power vacuums, especially if Iran successfully reconstitutes its capabilities. Israeli officials welcomed the explicit security commitment but stressed the need for continued vigilance. In Tehran, senior figures dismissed the strategy as detached from reality and vowed to accelerate military rebuilding.
The full text of the 2025 National Security Strategy is available on the White House website.
