Donald Trump Calls for Mandatory Abraham Accords Expansion With Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iran

President Donald Trump’s push to expand the Abraham Accords is being framed alongside U.S. negotiations with Iran over a possible regional de-escalation framework, with Trump writing that it “should be mandatory.”

“The Mideast Is baffled by Trump’s call to expand Abraham Accords The president said more countries should be required to recognize Israel as part of a deal to end the war with Iran”

Inquirer

In a Truth Social post, Trump said “It should start with the immediate signing by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and everybody else should follow suit,” while also suggesting “Iran itself” could join, writing “Wow, now that would be something special!”

Inquirer

The proposal has met “a mix of silence and bemusement across the Middle East,” with Reuters reporting that two Western diplomats in the region said “no one was really taking the idea seriously.”

Yoel Guzansky, a senior fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University, said, “It’s just bizarre,” adding, “What’s the connection between a deal with Iran and that? I’m honestly puzzled.”

In the U.S. Congress, Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.) told CNN’s Boris Sanchez on “The Arena” that he was “uncertain about what Trump had meant,” while saying, “I support the Abraham Accords.”

Auchincloss said the challenge with expanding the Abraham Accords is not that the countries share “an aversion to Iran,” but that “the Abraham Accords has been getting Saudi Arabia on board,” pointing to “challenges in the West Bank and ongoing attacks against Israel and its right to defend itself.”

The Hill

The Hill reported that Trump called for Persian Gulf allies to join the Abraham Accords amid talks between the U.S. and Iran to end the war, and Trump wrote that it should be mandatory for countries “at a minimum, simultaneously, sign onto the Abraham Accords.”

The Hill also noted that Trump said he spoke with leaders from countries in the region, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), about the peace negotiations.

Pakistan has publicly rejected Trump’s proposal to have countries join the Abraham Accords after a deal with Iran is reached, with Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif telling Samaa TV that Islamabad would not support any arrangement that contradicted Pakistan’s ideological position on Israel.

“Abraham Accords explained: Who signed, who didn't, and why it matters now Pakistan has already publicly rejected the proposal, while other Middle East leaders were not particularly pleased by Trump’s insistence during a high-level conference call either”

The Times of India

Asif said, “Personally, I don't think we should join any such accord that clashes with our fundamental ideologies,” and he added, “We have a very clear stance that this is not acceptable to us.”

The Times of India reported that Pakistan’s rejection is tied to its refusal to recognise Israel until the creation of an independent Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The Times of India also reported that Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar rejected speculation that Islamabad could join the accords, saying, “We are not ready to recognise Israel until the two-state solution to the Palestine conflict is accepted,” and that “There is no change in our stated policy on the Palestine issue.”