President Donald Trump is endangering his already rocky designs for peace by issuing a demand that allies are scoffing at, according to a damning report.
Over the weekend, peace looked to be on the horizon—if you listened to the mood music from the Trump administration. “Negotiations with the Islamic Republic of Iran are proceeding nicely!” Trump insisted on Monday morning, hours before reports emerged that the ceasefire was shattered by American strikes on Iranian targets.
In the same Truth Social post, Trump made a demand that, coupled with news of the strikes, makes imminent peace look so unlikely that allies have “laughed” off the president’s demands.
He urged Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, and Jordan to sign the Abraham Accords, a set of agreements designed to normalize relations between Jewish and Arab states. “I am mandatorily requesting that all Countries immediately sign the Abraham Accords,” he said, adding that he’d like Iran to sign eventually.
In response, he was mocked. Politico reported that one former U.S. official sent mock notes to Arab colleagues congratulating them on “joining” the Abraham Accords. They received laughing-emoji responses to the message that derided Trump’s overly simplistic view of nuanced relationships in a volatile region.
Another American official said that Arab officials they have worked with view Trump’s bright idea as a “poison pill,” adding that “it creates new conditions for peace that neither Iran nor the states in question will accept.”
Another former official said that their contacts reacted with “disbelief and frustration.”
A diplomat from the Gulf said it is merely a tactic to quell an anxious GOP base that fears Trump will concede too much in talks with Iran. “It is a smart tactic to calm down the angry base. He will keep bringing it up again and again. But it will not be part of the deal,” they said.
The White House stated that it’s an earnest offer, informed by Trump’s first-term success with the accords. “The Abraham Accords have provided massive economic benefits to all countries involved and enabled historic cooperation, so this would be a natural complement to a peace deal between the United States and Iran,” spokesperson Anna Kelly said.
Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has already ruled out his country’s inclusion. Pakistan is sympathetic to Palestine, which it sees as a victim of Israel. “In my personal view, I don’t think we’ll be part of any accords like this,” said Asif. “It would clash with our fundamental views. And I think no initiative like this has been taken from our side, nor has anyone approached us.”
