Trump calls for ‘mandatory’ adherence to Abraham Accords in Iran truce talks

US President Donald Trump on Monday threw a new wrench into any deal to end the war on Iran, saying that Saudi Arabia and other Muslim-majority nations must normalise ties with Israel as part of efforts to reach a deal.

The remarks took a US diplomat and an Arab diplomat by surprise. Both said that it was unlikely there would be any movement on normalisation. The Arab official told MEE that Trump may be using normalisation as a “lubricant” to ensure Israeli buy-in for any deal with Iran.

Israel on Monday escalated its strikes on Lebanon, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying that he had ordered the military to “crush” Hezbollah. Iran has been adamant that any agreement to end the war include Lebanon. 

“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 in a lengthy social media post.

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

Read more: Trump calls for ‘mandatory’ adherence to Abraham Accords in Iran ceasefire talks