President Donald Trump has made a dramatic new demand in Middle East diplomacy, declaring that it should be mandatory for six major nations to sign on to the Abraham Accords and normalize diplomatic relations with Israel.
The countries named by Trump include Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan. While Egypt and Jordan already have peace treaties with Israel, the Abraham Accords framework involves a broader normalization of economic and diplomatic ties. For Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey, such a move would represent a historic shift in their foreign policy.
The demand comes at a critical moment as senior US officials confirm that the United States and Iran are closing in on a deal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Officials told reporters that nothing is ready to be signed yet as negotiators work through precise language on key issues, with final approval potentially taking several more days.
Trump's statement linking the Iran deal to the Abraham Accords suggests he sees the current negotiations as an opportunity to reshape the entire diplomatic landscape of the Middle East. By making normalization with Israel a condition, he appears to be leveraging the Iran crisis to advance Israel's regional integration.
The reaction from the named countries is likely to be mixed. Saudi Arabia has shown openness to normalization under certain conditions, while Pakistan and Turkey have historically maintained strong pro-Palestinian positions that would make signing the Abraham Accords politically difficult domestically.