A strong indicator of what a second Trump presidency's approach to the Middle East will be has been seen in the appointment of Brian Hook, who was special envoy for Iran in the first Trump administration. Hook is expected to receive a high level national security post this time around, and he previously led the 'maximum pressure' campaign against the Islamic Republic.
It's being widely reported that 'maximum pressure' against Tehran is back on, for example in the Wall Street Journal on Friday: "President-elect Donald Trump plans to drastically increase sanctions on Iran and throttle its oil sales as part of an aggressive strategy to undercut Tehran’s support of violent Mideast proxies and its nuclear program, according to people briefed on his early plans."
"I think you are going to see the sanctions go back on, you are going to see much more, both diplomatically and financially, they are trying to isolate Iran," a former White House official was quoted in the report as saying. "I think the perception is that Iran is definitely in a position of weakness right now, and now is an opportunity to exploit that weakness."
Also likely to inform Trump's policy are the reports claiming that agents of Iran are trying to assassinate him. While there have been propaganda videos coming out of Tehran suggesting such, it remains that there's no publicly disclosed proof or smoking gun evidence of any active plotting in place. However, top officials of President Biden's intelligence community say that there is evidence, and earlier this fall briefed Trump and his team.
Mick Mulroy, a top defense official within the first Trump administration observed that "People tend to take that stuff personally." He added that "If he’s going to be hawkish on any particular country, designated major adversaries, it’s Iran."
https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/maximum-pressure-20-trump-planning-drastically-throttle-irans-oil-sales 