I do not follow the Middle East very closely but recent events make me think that the following scenario is in effect.
SAUDI ARABIA...Salman has the same problem as Trump (reactionaries in the state) but Trump gave Salman intel on the bad guys, moved clearly back to the Saudis instead of the Iranian Ayatollahs. The Salman/Trump alliance is major since the prior Saudi bad guys corrupted most of the US politicians with their own money and that of other powerful groups. The downfall of Talal bin Al-Waleed, who donated a school to Harvard, is a major clue.
IRAN: Trump's position is clear. No nukes. Repudiate the Obama deal. Clear plain dealing that proves him to the Sauds and shows he is serious about U1,
and lots of other bad stuff. My opinion is that the U1 deal was not only corrupt but was designed to put nukes into the hands of rogue players and states.
TURKEY/KHASHOGGI INCIDENT...my opinion is that Khashoggi was WaPo/CIA/anti-Salman. My opinion is that Trump gave Salman US intel implicating treason against SA, and the Sauds took care of it in their own atrocious manner. Erdogan wanted to tweak the CIA, which was probably involved in the Turkish coup attempt. He also is a competitor with SA and has an axe to grind. He certainly is not a proponent of freedom of the press; so the outcry by the media in the US is pretty comical. But bottom line the Saudis are vital to the plan and the Khashoggi incident will not change Trump's policy towards SA even though the incident is embarrassing.
ARMS DEAL/YEMEN/SYRIA...Looks to me like the arms deal goes through and Saudi Arabia exert more muscle in Syria and Yemen.
How they handle it...darned if I know. Also the Russians seem to be on board with it, and China is not a major player here. Overall...Trump's moves are coherent and reflect a thought-out strategy in a very complex situation. High marks.
ISRAEL...very complicated for any US President but so far Trump is doing beautifully. Q has stated that the "Israel will be dealt with last", meaning that public resolution of issues will be done after other issues are handled in the proper sequence. Personally I think Mossad has been involved in some bad stuff where American citizens and servicement have been killed (911 and USS Liberty) so the "truth shock" of public disclosure is pretty high.
I also believe Mossad has very incriminating material on most highly placed US officials....but then, so does Russia and China and the UK.
But a sex tape or a bribe is a little different than killing innocent US citizens and military servicemen.
In another post I talked about being "compromised". My opinion is That US regimes got Israel involved in really dirty stuff, to keep their hands off of it,
and blame patsies (like in 911 or the USS Liberty). They know that Israel will keep its mouth shut and the job will be done ruthlessly and right.
Israel of course depends on the US, and will have strong levers to influence US policy (a lot of US Congressmen and influential people have dual citizenships). Obviously if the Israeli Mossad is involved in killing Americans, it is not in the interest of Israel or the US government to have this become public knowledge, any more than it has already.
