Why It Matters
President Trump used a weekend conference call with leaders from eight Arab and Muslim nations to push for broader Middle East peace agreements tied to negotiations with Iran. The move signals his administration’s next major diplomatic goal in the region: expanding the Abraham Accords to include Saudi Arabia and other countries that do not currently have formal relations with Israel.
Any breakthrough faces significant obstacles, including upcoming Israeli elections and regional political tensions that have cooled Saudi enthusiasm for normalization.
What Happened
During a Saturday call focused on an emerging deal to end hostilities with Iran, Trump told leaders from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain that he expects nations without peace agreements with Israel to join the Abraham Accords once the Iran conflict concludes.
The request caught several leaders off guard, according to two U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the discussion. After Trump made his pitch, silence followed on the line. The president joked and asked if the leaders were still there, one official said.
Trump informed the group that he would speak next with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and expressed hope that Israel’s leader would participate in future joint calls. He assigned envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff to follow up on normalization efforts in coming weeks.
By the Numbers
Eight countries participated in the Saturday call. Three of those nations—Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Pakistan—do not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Israel. The Abraham Accords, signed in 2020, currently include the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan alongside Israel. Saudi Arabia represents the most significant potential addition to the framework.
What They Are Saying
Trump wrote on Truth Social Sunday thanking Middle East countries for their support and calling for enhanced cooperation through Abraham Accords membership. He also floated the possibility of Iran eventually joining the framework, which would require Tehran to recognize Israel—something the current Iranian regime has refused to do for decades.
Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who has criticized the Iran negotiations but supports Abraham Accords expansion, endorsed Trump’s request. Graham warned that refusal to pursue normalization would carry “severe repercussions” for future U.S. relationships and render any peace proposal unacceptable.
The Saudi Position
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman previously expressed willingness to normalize relations with Israel, but his stance has shifted over the past year. During a November White House meeting, Trump asked the crown prince to join the Abraham Accords. The Saudi leader pushed back, and the exchange became tense, according to officials.
Regional dynamics, including Saudi Arabia’s rift with the UAE and tensions surrounding Israeli policy, have led the Kingdom to adopt a more skeptical position toward Israel’s current government. Saudi officials continue to demand that Israel commit to an irreversible, time-bound path toward a Palestinian state as a condition for normalization—a requirement the Israeli government rejects.
What’s Next
Israeli and U.S. officials expect Saudi Arabia will not take action on normalization before Israel’s September elections. Riyadh is waiting to see which government takes power before advancing any agreements. The current political climate and Israeli domestic politics make any near-term breakthrough on Saudi-Israeli peace extremely difficult, despite Trump’s stated ambitions.