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Amid accelerating diplomatic manoeuvres to wind down hostilities with Iran, US President Donald Trump is seemingly leveraging the peace talks to engineer a massive geopolitical reconfiguration across West Asia. Behind closed doors, Trump is shifting his focus from a simple truce toward a much broader ambition--completely reshaping the regional security alignment.
According to Axios, the US President held a high-level conference call on Saturday with leaders from several Arab and Muslim-majority countries, explicitly stating that once the war with Iran concludes, he wants more nations to recognise Israel and formally join the Abraham Accords. The unexpected assertion reportedly caught multiple heads of state completely off guard. The strategic telephonic exchange brought together top leadership from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain. The conversation took place even as sensitive deliberations continued over a prospective US-Iran peace agreement designed to help calm months of instability across the region. During the discussion, Trump communicated to the assembled leaders that, following the end of the conflict, countries that currently withhold recognition from Tel Aviv should move towards normalising ties with it. According to US officials quoted in the report, his insistence triggered a brief silence on the call, particularly from the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Pakistan, none of which possess formal diplomatic relations with Israel. "One of the US officials said Trump joked and asked if they were still there," the report stated. The most formidable roadblock to this diplomatic campaign remains Saudi Arabia. Although Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has previously shown openness towards ties with Israel, the devastating war in Gaza, lingering tensions with Iran and growing anger across the Arab world have made it difficult. Riyadh has maintained an unyielding stance, reiterating that any normalisation process remains strictly contingent upon a definitive, irreversible path towards the creation of a Palestinian state, something Israel refuses to accept. Compounding his unconventional approach to regional diplomacy, Trump also floated one of his most controversial ideas again, questioning whether the Islamic Republic could eventually enter the normalisation fold. "I would like to thank, thus far, all of the countries of the Middle East for their support and cooperation, which will be further enhanced and strengthened by their joining the Nations of the historic Abraham Accords, and who knows, perhaps the Islamic Republic of Iran would like to join as well!" Trump wrote on Truth Social. Such a scenario appears highly unrealistic under Iran's current regime, which has for decades adamantly refused to extend recognition to Israel, routinely calling it an occupying power. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had categorically rejected similar remarks last year during a previous interaction. "Iran will never recognise an occupied regime that has committed genocide and killed children," Araghchi said during an interview with Iranian state television in 2025. Long before the Abraham Accords were signed, Iran had fiercely opposed Arab countries building ties with Israel. Reacting to Trump's sweeping vision, US Senator Lindsey Graham strongly backed the administration's position, warning that a refusal by regional partners to embrace the normalisation architecture would carry significant consequences. "Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Pakistan joining the Abraham Accords would be beyond transformative for the region and world. It is a brilliant move by President Trump. Now is the time to be bold for the future of a new Middle East. I expect, as President Trump has suggested, you will, in fact, join the Abraham Accords, effectively ending the Arab-Israeli conflict. If you refuse to go down this path as suggested by President Trump, it will have severe repercussions for our future relationships and make this peace proposal unacceptable. Further, it would be seen by history as a major miscalculation," Graham said in a post on X. Brokered by the US in 2020, the Abraham Accords marked a historic paradigm shift in the Middle East by establishing formal ties between Israel and several Arab nations, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco. For decades, most Arab countries had refused to recognise Israel until the Palestinian issue was resolved. The agreements broke from that approach and instead focused on shared strategic interests, especially concerns over Iran, along with cooperation in trade, technology, defence and investment. The accords marked one of the biggest diplomatic shifts the region had seen in years and helped create a new US-backed regional alignment in West Asia. Yet, despite Trump's public push for a total regional reset, a finalised accord with Tehran remains frustratingly out of reach. On Sunday, the US President claimed that relations with Tehran were becoming "more professional and productive", but also warned that negotiations should not be rushed. "The negotiations are proceeding in an orderly and constructive manner, and I have informed my representatives not to rush into a deal in that time is on our side," Trump wrote. "The blockade will remain in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified and signed." He also reinforced the foundational, non-negotiable demand of the United States regarding Tehran's military potential. "They must understand, however, that they cannot develop or procure a Nuclear Weapon or Bomb," Trump wrote. The proposed framework reportedly includes a possible 60-day ceasefire, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and future negotiations around Iran's nuclear programme. However, deep-seated disagreements remain unresolved, particularly around sanctions relief, Iran's uranium stockpile and the release of frozen Iranian assets. This complex diplomatic choreography unfolds across an intensely polarised landscape. Despite Trump's push for a diplomatic breakthrough, the Middle East is politically fractured. Countries like the UAE and Bahrain already maintain formal ties with Israel under the Abraham Accords. Others, especially Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Pakistan, still face strong domestic and regional pressure over the Palestinian issue. Compounding the delicate timing is the fluid internal situation within Israel itself. Israel is heading towards elections later this year, leaving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu under intense pressure after months of war. His approval ratings have weakened amid criticism over the conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran. (ANI)
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