Trump urged Middle East nations to normalize ties with Israel post-Iran deal

During a Saturday conference call with the leaders of several Middle Eastern countries and Pakistan, US President Donald Trump called on them to join the Abraham Accords to normalize relations with Israel if Washington and Tehran reach a peace deal, Axios reported, citing two US officials.

According to the portal, during a conference call on May 23 with the leaders of Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, the UAE, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, Trump expressed hope that after the end of the Iran conflict, countries that are not party to the Abraham Accords or do not have a peace treaty with Israel would normalize their relations with Tel Aviv.

Representatives of Qatar, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia, which do not have diplomatic relations with Israel, were surprised by the White House incumbent's request, the portal reported.

"There was silence on the line, and Trump joked and asked if they are still there," one of the US officials told Axios. The American leader noted that special presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and entrepreneur Jared Kushner would address the issue of normalizing relations between these countries and Israel in the coming weeks.

Earlier, in a post on the social media platform Truth Social, the US president suggested that Iran might wish to join the Abraham Accords in the future.

The Abraham Accords were reached between Israel and several Arab countries with US mediation in 2020-2021. In 2020, Bahrain, Morocco, and the UAE normalized relations with Israel. In 2021, Sudan announced the establishment of diplomatic relations with Israel. Before these agreements, Israel had diplomatic relations only with Egypt and Jordan among the Arab states.