Trump links Abraham Accords to any Iran deal

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that he asked Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan to join the Abraham Accords en masse to normalize relations with ‌Israel as he tries to negotiate an agreement to end the war with Iran.

Pakistan rejected the proposal. None of the other countries has so far publicly reacted to Trump's demand and a positive response was unlikely when the public mistrust of Israel in these Muslim nations remains high over the scale of its military offensive in Gaza.

Trump said he spoke on Saturday to leaders of those countries, as well as the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, which have already signed the accords, a set of agreements to normalize relations with Israel.

"I am mandatorily requesting that all Countries immediately sign the Abraham Accords, and that, ⁠if Iran signs its Agreement with me, as President of the United States of America, it would be an Honor to have them also be part of this unparalleled World Coalition," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

He cited "all the work done by the United States to try and pull this very complex puzzle together."

Trump’s statement reflected an attempt to use Iran ceasefire diplomacy for a wider push around the Abraham Accords, according to a Pakistani source familiar with the matter, who also said the two issues were “not interlinked and cannot be made so."

"Pakistan is under no compulsion to adhere to any such demand,” the source said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office also did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump's post.

Trump said one or two of the countries he spoke with may have a reason for not joining, 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 also ⁠said negotiations with Iran were "proceeding nicely," but gave no indication a deal was imminent.

Reuters