By Ginika Igboke
President Donald Trump said on May 25 that a potential agreement with Iran should be linked to a broader expansion of the Abraham Accords, arguing that Arab and Muslim-majority nations involved in negotiations should normalize relations with Israel as part of a larger effort to stabilize the Middle East.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said negotiations with Tehran were “proceeding nicely” but warned that failure to secure an agreement could trigger renewed military action.
“It will only be a great deal for all or no deal at all—back to the battlefront and shooting,” Trump wrote, adding that any renewed military response would be “bigger and stronger than ever before.”
The United States and Iran are currently engaged in talks aimed at ending the conflict and easing tensions across the region.
Earlier, on May 23, Trump said Washington and Tehran were close to finalizing a memorandum of understanding intended to end hostilities. While details remain limited, he indicated that the agreement would include Iran reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime route that has faced significant disruptions.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the proposed memorandum contains 14 points and primarily focuses on ending hostilities and lifting the U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports in exchange for Tehran removing restrictions on movement through the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump said he had discussed the proposal with several regional leaders, including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Emirati President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Pakistani military chief Asim Munir, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
On May 25, Trump expanded on the idea, arguing that Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, and Jordan should join the Abraham Accords simultaneously as part of a broader regional settlement.
“It should start with the immediate signing by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and everybody else should follow suit,” Trump wrote. “If they don’t, they should not be part of this deal.”
The Abraham Accords, negotiated during Trump’s first term, normalized relations between Israel and several Arab countries in 2020, including the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Later, Morocco and Sudan also joined the framework, making it one of the region’s most significant diplomatic developments in recent decades.
Trump also suggested that Iran itself could eventually become part of the agreement.
“In speaking to numerous leaders, they would be honored, as soon as our document is signed, to have the Islamic Republic of Iran as part of the Abraham Accords,” he wrote. “Now that would be something special.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham praised the proposal, calling it “brilliant” and potentially transformative for the region.
He said peace agreements involving Saudi Arabia and other countries could create a level of regional stability not previously imagined.
Trump’s comments came as Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated that the administration would not accept a weak agreement with Tehran.
Speaking during a media briefing in India, Rubio said Trump would give diplomacy every opportunity to succeed but would not rush into a deal.
“The president said he’s not in a hurry,” Rubio said. “He’s not going to make a bad deal.”
Rubio also stressed that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons remains a core objective of U.S. policy.
“We’re either going to have a good agreement or we’re going to have to deal with it another way,” he said.
Iran’s nuclear program remains one of the most contentious issues in the negotiations. U.S. officials have demanded assurances that Tehran will not become a nuclear-armed power, while Iranian leaders continue to insist that uranium enrichment activities are for peaceful purposes.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran is willing to reassure the international community that it is not seeking nuclear weapons but will not compromise on what he described as the country’s dignity and national honor.
Baghaei also cautioned that while progress had been made, no final agreement was imminent.
Meanwhile, adviser Mohsen Rezaei warned that renewed U.S. military action could lead Tehran to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.