WASHINGTON (AP) — On Monday, former President Donald Trump expressed that any future agreement with Iran should mandate the inclusion of several additional nations in the Abraham Accords, a series of U.S.-facilitated agreements designed to normalize diplomatic relations with Israel, which were first established during his presidency.
In a message shared on social media, Trump mentioned that negotiations are “proceeding nicely” but emphasized that any potential accord should require broader participation in the Abraham Accords, initially signed in 2020.
Trump highlighted countries such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar as immediate candidates for joining the accords, and further suggested that Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, and Jordan should follow suit. Notably, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates were the pioneering nations to join the agreements in 2020.
He asserted that “given all the efforts by the United States to assemble this intricate diplomatic initiative, it should be essential for these countries, at the very least, to simultaneously endorse the Abraham Accords.”
The former president stated that he discussed the plan related to the Abraham Accords with regional leaders during negotiations held on Saturday.
Trump suggested he may accept “one or two” countries declining to sign, but said most should be willing. Egypt and Jordan already formally recognize Israel and have long-standing peace treaties.
It remains unclear when or how any deal with Iran might be completed, or how Abraham Accords membership might affect an agreement. He suggested even Iran could eventually sign on, if an agreement is reached.
The accords are a series of diplomatic, economic and security agreements created with U.S. influence during Trump’s first term, originally between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, followed by Sudan, Morocco, and more recently, Kazakhstan.
They were framed as an effort to promote cooperation among countries in the Middle East and North Africa, and the administration saw them as partly paving a path toward full ties with Israel.