Trump Administration Adds Israel Recognition Demand to Iran Peace Deal, Complicating Negotiations
President Trump expanded terms of the US-Iran peace agreement to require Middle Eastern nations to formally recognize Israel through the Abraham Accords, a move analysts say could derail imminent negotiations focused on reopening global shipping routes and nuclear restrictions.
New Diplomatic Demands
While restoring commercial traffic through the strait has been a top priority for U.S. allies, Trump on Monday added an apparent demand that any peace deal should require more countries to extend full diplomatic recognition to the state of Israel. "[I]t should be mandatory that all of these Countries, at a minimum, simultaneously, sign onto the Abraham Accords," Trump wrote on social media. Trump now says Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia should agree to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel.
Geopolitical Context
The Abraham Accords, first signed in 2020 during Trump's first term, normalized relations between Israel, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. Kazakhstan, Morocco, and Sudan are also signatories. Pakistan has emerged as a key mediator between Tehran and Washington amid the tense regional conflict, relaying respective peace proposals and counterproposals between the two warring parties. The country is well-placed to act as mediator given its cordial ties with both Iran and the United States, with Pakistan's Army Chief Asim Munir – who US President Donald Trump has called his "favorite field marshal" – leading Islamabad's efforts.
Expert Assessment and Political Reaction
His latest effort to expand the frame of the peace talks drew support from his political allies, including Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.), who extolled the plan as "simply brilliant," in a post on X. He added: "With Saudi Arabia and others like Pakistan making peace with Israel, the region will know a level of stability never dreamed of before President Trump and will eventually lead to regional integration making the Middle East a powerhouse for economic opportunity and good instead of a powder keg." But Trump's new demands were also described as an unrealistic distraction by some experts on the region. "I remain a proponent of the Abraham Accords, and their eventual expansion," said Dan Shapiro, former U.S.
Economic Stakes
President Donald Trump said Saturday that a peace deal with Iran that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz is "largely negotiated" and will be announced shortly, a development that could end a conflict that has choked global energy markets and pushed U.S. inflation to its highest level in years.