Donald Trump has reportedly caught the leaders of several Arab nations off guard after encouraging them to deepen ties with Israel as part of an effort to halt the fighting involving Iran.
In recent days, the president is said to have spoken by phone with leaders in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan, urging them to sign up to the Abraham Accords.
The 2020 framework formalised diplomatic relations between Israel and a number of Arab states. Trump reportedly believes expanding the agreement could help bring the war to a close and lead to the reopening of the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.
According to Axios, some of the leaders were so taken aback by the push that they fell silent while Trump continued laying out his approach.
After the pause, Trump is said to have joked: “Are they still there?”
Trump has also floated the idea of Iran joining the agreement, despite the long-running hostility, and reportedly argued that participation ‘should be mandatory’ for the countries in question.
The POTUS wrote on Truth Social: “After all the work done by the United States to try and pull this very complex puzzle together, it should be mandatory that all of these countries, at a minimum, simultaneously, sign on to the Abraham Accords.”
Trump added: “It may be possible that one or two have a reason for not doing so, and that will be accepted, but most should be ready, willing, and able to make this Settlement with Iran a far more Historic Event than it would, otherwise, be.”
Iran, however, has played down the chances of a quick breakthrough and suggested any resolution is not close.
Esmail Baghaei, the Iranian foreign ministry’s spokesman, told press: “It is correct to say that we have reached a conclusion on a large portion of the issues under discussion. But to say that this means the signing of an agreement is imminent – no one can make such a claim.”
Axios also reported that Trump advised those in talks that they shouldn’t move too quickly, saying they shouldn’t ‘rush into a deal, in that time is on our side’.
He also reportedly stressed that any outcome would need to be significant, saying it would ‘either be a great and meaningful one, or there will be no deal’.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed the situation while visiting New Delhi, offering his view on where negotiations with Iran stand.
“We have what I think is a pretty solid thing on the table in terms of their ability to open up the [Strait of Hormuz], get the straits open,” the Trump administration official said.
“It has a lot of support in the Gulf … every country that we’ve walked through it [with] understands it’s not just very reasonable, but it’s the right thing for the world to get done.”