By Saqib S. Qureshi
U.S. President Donald Trump has linked any future agreement with Iran to a wider Middle East diplomatic push, calling on several Muslim-majority nations to formally normalize relations with Israel through the Abraham Accords framework.
In a series of public remarks and social media statements on Monday, Trump said countries involved in regional negotiations should be “mandatorily” encouraged to establish official ties with Israel. He specifically mentioned Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan as nations he wants included in an expanded normalization effort.
Trump claimed ongoing U.S.-Iran negotiations were “proceeding nicely,” but stressed that any breakthrough with Tehran should be accompanied by broader diplomatic agreements across the Middle East. According to reports, he raised the issue during recent discussions with regional leaders.
The proposal has already triggered criticism from pro-Israel political figures and security analysts who remain skeptical about Washington pursuing a softer approach toward Iran while regional tensions remain high. Israeli officials have reportedly voiced concerns that a new deal could reduce pressure on Tehran without fully addressing Iran’s nuclear and military capabilities.
Trump also suggested that expanding the Abraham Accords could become one of the defining diplomatic achievements of his administration if combined with a broader Iran settlement. However, several countries mentioned by Trump have either remained silent or publicly resisted normalization efforts due to the ongoing war in Gaza and unresolved Palestinian statehood issues.
The Abraham Accords were first brokered during Trump’s previous administration in 2020, leading to normalization agreements between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, later followed by additional regional cooperation initiatives.