US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that many countries will join the Abraham Accords, according to reports from Al Jazeera. Speaking in a press briefing, Trump emphasized that 'We'll see a lot of countries joining the Abraham Accords', marking a significant diplomatic initiative as the Trump administration seeks to broaden regional cooperation beyond the original framework. This renewed push comes a couple of months after Trump urged countries including Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Qatar to establish diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv, demonstrating the administration's commitment to building a broader regional framework for Middle Eastern cooperation.
The Abraham Accords expansion comes as the US-Iran peace deal collapsed after hostilities resumed following a failed interim agreement, according to Al Jazeera reports. Earlier in May, Trump posted on Truth that countries involved in diplomatic processes with Iran should 'at a minimum,' sign the Abraham Accords, adding that while one or two countries may have valid reasons for staying out, 'most should be ready, willing and able' to join the framework. This diplomatic pressure reflects the administration's strategic response to current geopolitical challenges, with the timing of Trump's announcement suggesting a focus on regional stability and diplomatic engagement.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun arrived at the White House on Tuesday with a single delicate mission: convince President Donald Trump to press Israel into honoring a U.S.-brokered agreement that would pull Israeli troops out of Lebanon and disarm Hezbollah. As reported by MS NOW, this marks the first visit to the White House by a Lebanese president in nearly two decades, coming at a fraught moment for the conflict-worn nation with hundreds of thousands of Lebanese displaced in the aftermath of Israeli strikes. The meeting represents a mutual bet where Aoun trusts Trump to fulfill U.S. commitments in the framework agreement while Trump needs Aoun to demonstrate the Lebanese Armed Forces' capability to execute the peace framework.
The Abraham Accords, launched during Trump's first term in 2020, are a series of US-mediated agreements that normalised diplomatic, economic and security ties between Israel and some Arab nations. The original participants included the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan, while Jordan and Egypt had already established peace treaties with Israel decades earlier. Trump has claimed that the accords have delivered significant economic and strategic benefits to participating countries and that they have never considered withdrawing from the arrangement. The agreements were hailed by supporters as a breakthrough for regional cooperation, though they drew criticism from Palestinian leaders who argued Arab states had normalised ties with Israel without securing meaningful progress toward Palestinian statehood.
