WASHINGTON: Donald Trump on Monday appeared to link an emerging peace agreement with Iran to a broader push for Muslim-majority nations in the Middle East and beyond to normalise relations with Israel.
The new demand came amid reports of a possible memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran aimed at ending the conflict on multiple fronts and potentially lifting oil-related restrictions.
The countries named by Trump — including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar — have traditionally supported a two-state solution to the Palestinian issue before considering any normalisation with Israel.
In a lengthy post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump listed the countries whose leaders he had spoken to on Saturday regarding efforts to end the war with Iran.
“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.
The US president specifically named Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkiye, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain.
The Abraham Accords are a series of agreements brokered during Trump’s first administration in 2020 that facilitated the normalisation of diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab states. However, the accords remain unpopular among large sections of the public in the region because they do not directly address the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
“It may be possible that one or two have a reason for not doing so, and that will be accepted, but most should be ready, willing, and able to make this settlement with Iran a far more historic event than it would otherwise be,” Trump said.
“It should start with the immediate signing by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and everybody else should follow suit. If they don’t, they should not be part of this deal in that it shows bad intention,” he added.
A day earlier, Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally and vocal supporter of Israel, wrote on X that if Arab and Muslim countries joined the Abraham Accords as part of an Iran agreement, it would become “one of the most consequential” developments in Middle Eastern history.
Graham warned that refusal to join the accords would make the agreement “unacceptable”.
“Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Pakistan joining the Abraham Accords would be beyond transformative for the region and world. It is a brilliant move by President Trump,” Graham wrote.
He added: “Now is the time to be bold for the future of a new Middle East,” while urging Arab and Muslim countries to join the accords and “effectively end the Arab-Israeli conflict”.
“If you refuse to go down this path as suggested by President Trump, it will have severe repercussions for our future relationships and make this peace proposal unacceptable. Further, it would be seen by history as a major miscalculation,” Graham warned.
During the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, Graham repeatedly called for regime change in Iran, warned Saudi Arabia of possible “consequences” if it refused to take military action against Tehran, and openly supported US strikes on Iran.
Earlier this month, Graham also questioned Pakistan’s role as a mediator in Iran-US negotiations after reports emerged in American media claiming Pakistan had allowed Iranian aircraft to use its airbase during the Islamabad talks.
He said that if such reports were accurate, it would require “a complete reevaluation” of Pakistan’s role in mediation efforts.
Trump further suggested that cooperation between the United States and Muslim nations could be strengthened through broader participation in the Abraham Accords.
“Who knows, perhaps the Islamic Republic of Iran would like to join, as well!” he remarked.
Pakistani officials have not yet formally responded to Trump’s latest statement. However, earlier this year, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi reiterated Islamabad’s longstanding position regarding the accords.
He said Pakistan’s stance was linked to the establishment of a viable and contiguous Palestinian state with Al-Quds Al-Sharif (Jerusalem) as its capital.
“We will then see how this State of Palestine has relationships with other countries, including potentially Israel. So that is our benchmark,” Andrabi had said.
Pakistan has continued efforts to revive the stalled Iran-US peace process after plans for a second round of talks in Islamabad were postponed last month.
Last week, Trump stated that negotiations with Iran had entered their final stages and warned that military strikes could resume if no agreement was reached within a limited timeframe.
Over the weekend, however, he said that a memorandum of understanding for a peace agreement with Iran had been “largely negotiated” and would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with more details expected soon.
Meanwhile, Asim Munir undertook a high-level visit to Tehran over the weekend as part of Pakistan’s mediation efforts.
The two-day visit marked one of the most significant diplomatic engagements since Pakistan hosted direct talks last month. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations, Munir held “high-level engagements” with Iranian leaders to promote de-escalation and constructive dialogue.
“The discussions remained focused upon expediting the consultative process underway to support peace and stability in the region and to reach a conclusive agreement,” ISPR said.
“The intensive negotiations over the last twenty-four hours have resulted in encouraging progress towards a final understanding,” the statement added.
During the visit, Munir met Masoud Pezeshkian, Iranian parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni.
While ISPR stopped short of announcing a breakthrough, late-night media reports suggested that an agreement could be close.
Since the opening strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran on February 28, Tehran has carried out retaliatory missile attacks on US military bases in neighbouring Gulf countries, widening the conflict.
A ceasefire was first achieved on April 8 with mediation support from Pakistan before being extended indefinitely on April 21 at Islamabad’s request, only hours before its scheduled expiry.
A US congressional report later stated that during its military campaign, named Operation Epic Fury, the United States lost 42 aircraft, including fighter jets and support planes.