Trump asked Muslim leaders to join Abraham Accords after Iran war

During a secret phone summit on Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump pressed leaders from key Arab and Muslim nations to normalize relations with Israel immediately following the conclusion of the war against Iran. This demand, described as a "shocking requirement," aims to reshape the region's geopolitical future but faces considerable on-the-ground realities and specific Saudi conditions.

According to two senior U.S. officials, Trump linked the resolution of the Iran conflict to a significant expansion of the Abraham Accords. The call included leaders from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain. The demand reportedly caught leaders from nations without official ties to Israel, particularly Riyadh, Doha, and Islamabad, off guard, leading to a "heavy silence" on the call. Trump attempted to ease the tension with a jest, asking if his interlocutors were "still there," before announcing the imminent dispatch of special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff to advance the initiative.

Washington's primary objective is to broker a historic peace agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel. Trump reinforced this goal on his social media platform, Truth Social, thanking regional countries for their support against Iran and stating their cooperation should manifest through adherence to the Abraham Accords. He even floated the improbable idea of Iran's future integration into this peace process, which would necessitate Tehran recognizing Israel, a move contrary to the current regime's ideological doctrine.

Despite White House pressure, achieving a breakthrough in the current political climate is exceedingly difficult. While Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had previously shown openness to normalization, his position has hardened considerably. During a tense Oval Office meeting last November, the Saudi leader already expressed reservations to Trump. Riyadh currently maintains a firm stance: no normalization will occur without irreversible, long-term commitments from Israel regarding the Palestinian issue, a condition that remains a significant obstacle to the U.S. administration's ambitions.

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