The expansion of the "Abraham Accords" with the inclusion of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, Pakistan and Turkey, could complement a potential peace agreement to end the war with Iran, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said, quoted by Semafor.
“As the president has said, the agreements have brought significant economic benefits to all parties involved and allowed for historic cooperation, so this would be a natural complement to the peace agreement“, the White House spokeswoman said.
Kelly was commenting on President Trump's call for those countries to normalize their relations with Israel as part of any agreement to resolve the conflict.
The agreements were signed in 2020 by Israel, the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco, with the mediation of the United States, to establish diplomatic relations. Sudan and Kazakhstan later joined. The name of the document refers to Abraham, who is considered the ancestor of the Jews and several Arab tribes. Semafor notes that linking the expansion to the Iran deal could create further complications for the negotiation process. A source close to the White House said that combining these topics could “ruin everything“.
Last week, Trump held phone calls with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain about the upcoming peace agreement with Iran.
The American leader told his interlocutors that after signing the agreement with Tehran, he expects countries that have not yet normalized their relations with Israel to join the agreements or conclude separate ones. All participants in the negotiations, according to an Axios source, supported the potential agreement with Iran and assured Washington of their support if it fails.
Axios notes that Trump's call was especially surprising to the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Pakistan, since these countries do not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel. US special presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner will be tasked with promoting peace agreements in the near future, the newspaper writes.
According to The New York Times, the US and Iran have agreed on the parameters of a possible agreement. This could include lifting the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and a commitment by Tehran to get rid of its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, although the parties have different descriptions of the terms of the agreement.
Iranian news agency „Tasnim“ reported that some contentious issues remain unresolved, including the release of Iran's frozen assets. According to the agency, the risk of the agreement's failure remains and Tehran has no intention of giving up its “red lines“.