In a leaked phone conversation, Donald Trump informed Arab leaders that he would only facilitate a peace agreement with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if they agreed to normalize relations with Israel. This call, which took place on Saturday, included influential figures from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, and Egypt, discussing the end of the US-Iran conflict and the reopening of this critical oil route. Trump’s demand for normalization with Israel targets nations that have historically opposed the Jewish state since its inception in 1948.
According to Axios, the Arab leaders were so taken aback by Trump’s condition that they responded with complete silence during the call. Trump, noticing the lack of response, jokingly asked, “Are they still there?” When no reply was forthcoming, Trump concluded the discussion by stating that his envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, would continue to pursue the matter of Israel normalization in the coming weeks. After this intense call, US-Iran peace negotiations faced a stalemate on Monday, with disputes over Tehran’s uranium reserves and the release of Iranian assets, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.
Trump took to Truth Social to issue a stark warning, sharing a meme illustrating him forcing a cartoon representation of Iran into negotiations, threatening to “blow [expletive] up” if they don’t comply. He declared that a “great and meaningful” agreement must be reached to end the conflict, or there would be no deal at all. This post seems to counter critics who argue that any agreement lacking constraints on Iran’s nuclear program could revive the Obama-era deal from 2015. Trump had previously withdrawn the US from this agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, during his first term, dismissing it as “the worst deal in history.”
‘It will be the exact opposite of the JCPOA disaster negotiated by the failed Obama Administration, which was a direct and open path to a Nuclear Weapon for Iran,’ Trump posted on Monday. Iran said the deal under negotiation doesn’t include any immediate concessions to its nuclear program, only a commitment to discuss the issue during a 60-day period, with the current talks centered around reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Iran is set to open the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days after securing a deal with the US, a diplomatic source told financial newswire Nikkei. Iran’s top negotiators and financial chiefs arrived in Doha on Monday for continued peace talks on unfreezing billions of dollars of the regime’s assets, according to AFP.
‘Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Doha earlier today for talks on ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the conflict,’ a source told AFP. Oil fell to its lowest price in more than a month on hopes of a deal, with global benchmark Brent crude dropping to $97 per barrel. President Trump has long sought to expand the Abraham Accords, his 2020 deal that normalized relations between Israel and the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco. However, Israel’s standing among Arab nations has plummeted in the wake of the Gaza war, which has reportedly killed tens of thousands of Palestinians. Kushner and Witkoff have led negotiations for the US in the most significant global conflicts during Trump’s second administration, including Iran, Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Gaza. The Abraham Accords were a key milestone of the first Trump administration.
Nations that have signed on so far include Bahrain, Morocco, the UAE and Sudan, as well as Israel. On Sunday, Trump addressed his desire for more Middle Eastern states to sign peace agreements with Israel. ‘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,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social. He added: ‘Who knows, perhaps the Islamic Republic of Iran would like to join, as well!’ Trump also said the US relationship with Iran was ‘becoming a much more professional and productive one.’
However, he urged Iran to ‘understand’ that it could not develop a nuclear weapon or bomb. Trump announced yesterday afternoon that the Iranian peace agreement was ‘largely negotiated’ but still ‘subject to finalization.’ ‘In addition to many other elements of the Agreement, the Strait of Hormuz will be opened,’ he said on Truth Social. Mohammed bin Zayed, the president of the UAE, was among the Muslim leaders who told Trump they supported the deal to end the war, according to Axios.
