In a recently leaked phone call, former President Donald Trump reportedly informed leaders in the Arab world that he would only negotiate a peace agreement with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if they agreed to establish diplomatic relations with Israel.
The conference call, which took place on Saturday, included some of the Middle East’s most influential figures, such as those from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, and Egypt. The primary focus of the discussion was to explore solutions for ending the conflict between the U.S. and Iran and to ensure the reopening of the crucial oil shipping route.
During the call, Trump made it clear that his terms for brokering peace involved the normalization of relations with Israel. This condition posed a significant challenge to several Arab nations that have historically been at odds with Israel since its inception in 1948.
According to a report from Axios, the leaders on the call were taken aback by Trump’s demand and opted for silence, refraining from any immediate response.
As the silence dragged on, Trump reportedly broke it by asking, “Are they still there?”
Despite the lack of immediate engagement from the Arab leaders, Trump concluded the call by stating that his advisors, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, would continue discussions regarding the normalization with Israel in the coming weeks.
Following the dramatic weekend call, peace talks between the US and Iran have stalled on Monday, with both sides at an impasse over Tehran’s uranium stockpile and the unfreezing of Iranian assets, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Trump issued an extraordinary new threat on Truth Social, posting a meme that depicts him forcing a cartoon terrorist representing Iran to negotiate or he ‘will blow s*** up.’
President Donald Trump and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia stand for a photo with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and other participants at the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum at the Kennedy Center on November 19, 2025 in Washington, DC
Trump issued an extraordinary new threat on Truth Social, posting a meme that depicts him forcing a cartoon terrorist representing Iran to negotiate or he ‘will blow s*** up’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference in Jerusalem on March 19
Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman looks on during a meeting with US President Donald Trump (not pictured) in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC on November 18
The President vowed that the US and Iran will either reach ‘a great and meaningful’ agreement to end the war ‘or there will be no deal.’
The post appeared to be another attempt to push back at critics who warn that a pact without restrictions on Iran’s nuclear ambitions risked a resurrection of the Obama deal struck in 2015.
Trump unilaterally pulled the US out of the agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, during his first term, trashing 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.
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.
The President rump 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.
An oil tanker burns after being hit by an Iranian strike in the ship-to-ship transfer zone at Khor al-Zubair port near Basra, Iraq, late Wednesday, March 11
A fire burns after a missile strike on February 28, 2026 in central Tel Aviv, Israel
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.
Fire and smoke rise into the sky after an Israeli attack on the Shahran oil depot on June 15, 2025 in Tehran
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.
