Trump Ties Iran Peace Deal to Arab Recognition of Israel

United States President, Donald Trump, has called on Saudi Arabia and several Middle Eastern countries to normalise diplomatic relations with Israel as part of ongoing efforts to secure a peace agreement with Iran.

Trump made the demand on Monday, introducing a fresh layer of uncertainty to negotiations aimed at ending tensions between Washington and Tehran following months of conflict.

The US president, in a lengthy social media post, insisted that countries including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Egypt, Turkey and Jordan should join the Abraham Accords, the US-backed agreements established in 2020 to normalise ties between Israel and several Arab nations.

“After all the work done by the United States to try and pull this very complex puzzle together, it should be mandatory that all of these Countries, at a minimum, simultaneously, sign onto the Abraham Accords,” Trump wrote.

“Those Countries discussed are Saudi Arabia, The United Arab Emirates (already a Member!), Qatar, Pakistan, Turkiye, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain (already a Member!).”

Trump disclosed that he had spoken with leaders of the listed countries over the weekend regarding efforts to end the conflict with Iran.

Although Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates had previously signed the accords alongside Morocco and Sudan, countries such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar have repeatedly maintained that normalisation with Israel would only happen after the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

Negotiations between the United States and Iran have reportedly slowed in recent weeks despite an existing ceasefire observed since April 8.

While diplomatic talks continue, Iran has maintained restrictions on shipping activities through the Strait of Hormuz, with the US Navy reportedly increasing pressure around Iranian ports.

Trump had earlier stated that any agreement with Iran would either be “great and meaningful” or there would be “no deal.”

Analysts, however, say the latest demand from Washington could complicate already fragile regional diplomacy.

A Middle East analyst at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, Anna Jacobs, criticised the US position, arguing that Gulf nations were unlikely to embrace ties with Israel under current conditions.

“The national security of the Gulf states has been threatened more than ever before because of President Trump’s reckless decisions, and he expects Arab states to thank him and to normalize relations with Israel, which they will not do at this stage,” she said.

“These expectations and assumptions from this US administration shows how little they understand the Middle East.”