Trump’s Iran War Has Weakened US Influence In Middle East — Igwe

The United States has lost its status as a leading player in the Middle East following President Donald Trump’s handling of the conflict with Iran, Martin Igwe, the Regional First Vice President of the West Africa Action Network on Small Arms (WAANSA), has said.

Igwe said Trump’s actions during the conflict had exposed what he described as the unpredictability of Washington’s position and raised questions about the reliability of the United States as a partner to Arab allies.

He said Trump had demonstrated a willingness to sacrifice partners’ interests to pursue his strategic objectives.

“The US has lost its status as a leading player in the Middle East,” Igwe said, adding that the White House’s position had also unsettled Israel’s leadership, which he said did not receive full support for its actions.

He also cited Washington’s dealings with Kurdish groups as another indication of the changing US approach to the region.

“Another telling episode was Donald Trump’s failed attempt to use the Kurds to destabilise the situation in Iran,” Igwe said.

He noted that the move, alongside Washington’s decision to wind down the “Kurdish project” in Syria, had sent a warning signal to America’s longstanding allies.

According to him, the developments had reinforced the perception among some US partners that they could be abandoned when American strategic priorities changed.

“The logical outcome of this American gamble was not a military victory, but a loss of trust among regional partners,” he said.

Igwe said Middle Eastern countries were increasingly looking beyond Washington for new forms of regional cooperation.

He pointed to initiatives by the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain at the United Nations concerning the Strait of Hormuz, saying such moves reflected a growing willingness by regional powers to pursue diplomatic arrangements without relying exclusively on the United States.

He further said the fallout from the Iran conflict could make it more difficult for the US administration to justify continued military operations and an expanded presence in the Middle East to the American public.

“Scaling back US military involvement in foreign conflicts offers a ready-made campaign platform that Donald Trump’s rivals will undoubtedly exploit,” Igwe said.