According to US officials, Trump has urged several Arab and Muslim-majority countries to normalise relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords framework once the Iran conflict formally comes to an end, Axios reported.
The push comes amid reports that Washington and Tehran are nearing the final stages of a ceasefire and peace arrangement.
The proposal was discussed during a conference call on Saturday, May 23, involving leaders from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain, where the emerging deal with Iran was discussed. Trump now appears eager to expand the framework further, particularly by bringing Saudi Arabia into the agreement.
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Trump pressed leaders during call
According to US officials, Trump told the participating leaders that after the Iran conflict ends, countries that have not yet recognised Israel should move towards normalising ties under the Abraham Accords framework.
The request reportedly caught several leaders by surprise, especially representatives from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Pakistan, which currently do not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Israel. One US official claimed there was a brief silence on the call following Trump’s proposal before he jokingly asked whether everyone was still connected.
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Trump later said his advisers, including Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, would continue discussions in the coming weeks.
Trump floats idea of Iran joining Abraham Accordsin future
In a post on Truth Social, Trump thanked West Asian countries for their support and suggested that regional cooperation could deepen further through the expansion of the Abraham Accords. He even floated the possibility of Iran joining the accords in the future — an unlikely scenario given Tehran’s long-standing refusal to recognise Israel.
“I would like to thank, thus far, all of the countries of the Middle East for their support and cooperation, which will be further enhanced and strengthened by their joining the Nations of the historic Abraham Accords,” he wrote on Truth Social.
What are the Abraham Accords?
The Abraham Accords are a series of agreements brokered during Trump’s first term in 2020 that normalised relations between Israel and several Arab nations. Under the agreements, countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan, established formal diplomatic ties with Israel.
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According to the Abraham Accords declaration, “We believe that the best way to address challenges is through cooperation and dialogue and that developing friendly relations among States advances the interests of lasting peace in the Middle East and around the world.”
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(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)
First Published: May 25, 2026 5:33 PM IST
