Trump urges Arab nations join Abraham Accords amid Iran deal talks
Trump Pushes to Expand Abraham Accords as Iran Talks “Proceed Nicely,” Seeks Wider Middle East Reset
President Donald Trump on Monday renewed calls for a broad expansion of the Abraham Accords, urging several Middle Eastern countries to join a normalisation push he said should run alongside ongoing negotiations with Iran. In a Truth Social post, Trump described talks with Tehran as “proceeding nicely” and framed a larger regional deal — one that would fold more Arab and Muslim-majority states into diplomatic ties with Israel — as central to long-term stability.
Trump suggested that countries including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Türkiye, Egypt and Jordan should sign onto the Accords alongside existing members such as the UAE and Bahrain. He said he recently discussed the idea with a string of regional leaders — including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The Abraham Accords, first brokered during Trump’s 2020 presidency, established diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab states and delivered an array of economic, tourism and security ties for the signatories. Trump argued on Monday that expanding that framework could produce similar benefits on a broader scale, reshaping the regional order and reducing the incentives for conflict.
“Expanding the Accords could be historic,” he wrote, adding that he had directed his representatives to begin outreach aimed at bringing more countries into the fold. Trump also floated the striking notion that Iran itself might one day join the Accords if a wider agreement with Washington is reached — a possibility he called transformational for the Middle East.
But the proposal carries immediate diplomatic and political complications. Saudi Arabia, the region’s biggest player, has long been viewed as the most consequential potential addition to any Israel normalization initiative; yet Riyadh has maintained a cautious public posture and has not formally joined the Accords. For many Arab publics, normalisation with Israel remains politically sensitive, tied to unresolved Palestinian issues and broader grievances.
Iran responded to the flurry of optimism with restraint. While Iranian officials acknowledged progress in talks with Washington, they denied that a comprehensive agreement was imminent and warned against inflating expectations. Tehran’s skepticism reflects long-standing distrust of US-led frameworks and domestic political constraints that would make any rapid pivot toward Israel highly contentious.
Analysts say Trump’s dual push — pressing for a deal with Tehran while simultaneously urging a regional normalisation sweep — reflects a strategic bet: that security assurances, economic incentives and formal diplomacy can be bundled into a package that rewires alliances. Supporters argue such a package could undercut Iran’s regional influence, open lucrative trade and investment opportunities, and reduce the chance of future large-scale military confrontations.
Critics counter that the approach risks sidelining core issues, including Palestinian statehood and human rights concerns, and may prove brittle if underlying disputes with Tehran and its proxies persist. They also note that public sentiment in many Arab countries remains wary of rapid normalisation without clear concessions on Palestinian self-determination.
Trump’s outreach comes amid other volatile dynamics across the region. Recent strikes, diplomatic signaling, and renewed threats have shown how quickly prospects for de-escalation can be disrupted. That makes the timing — and the sequencing — of any Accords expansion critical, diplomats say: leaders may be willing to discuss big-picture normalization while stopping short of a formal signature until security guarantees and domestic political cover are secured.
For now, Trump’s vision of a dramatically expanded Abraham Accords is aspirational: it sketches a future of wider diplomatic ties and economic integration, but one that faces deep political headwinds and complex bargaining on issues that have long divided the Middle East. Whether regional leaders will sign on — and whether Tehran would ever consider joining such an architecture — remains an open question, one that will test both the limits of diplomacy and the appetite for a sweeping geopolitical reset.