Trump’s Middle East Peace Dream Won’t Solve the Iran Mess He Made

Amid sensitive and difficult negotiations to end the war in Iran, President Donald Trump threw another stipulation to a peace deal into the mix this week.

He is demanding that countries in the Middle East sign the Abraham Accords, potentially as a precondition to a deal to end the war. At a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Trump said that countries in the region “owe it to us” to sign on to the deal he brokered in 2020 to normalize relations between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco. He is “mandatorily requesting” Turkey, Egypt, and Jordan join the Accords (despite the fact that they already recognize Israel) and is urging Saudi Arabia to do the same.

These far-out demands distract from the intractable issues that still must be resolved, such as Iran’s uranium stockpile and control over the Strait of Hormuz. To Trump enthusiasts, they are another example of the president’s masterful ability to reshape negotiations and expand the list of possible outcomes during dealmaking.

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