US President Donald Trump on Monday demanded that Muslim-majority countries, primarily Saudi Arabia and Qatar, normalize relations with Israel as part of a potential peace agreement on Iran.

In a lengthy message on his Truth Social platform, Trump listed the countries whose leaders he spoke with on Saturday as part of discussions to end the war with Iran: "I stated that after all the work done by the United States to try to resolve this very complex situation, all of these countries should be obliged, at a minimum, to simultaneously sign the Abraham Accords."

Signed in 2020 and sponsored by Donald Trump during his first term in the White House, the Abraham Accords led to the normalization of relations between Israel and Arab countries: the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan.

But many states have so far refused to join this process, in particular Saudi Arabia, as well as Syria and Lebanon, neighbors of Israel.

With the war in Gaza triggered by the attack of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas against Israel on October 7, 2023, Riyadh ruled out any normalization with Israel without the creation of a sovereign and viable Palestinian state.

A project opposed by the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Donald Trump wrote on Monday that this process of recognizing the State of Israel "should begin with the immediate signing by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and all others should follow."

"If they do not, they should not be part of this agreement (with Iran), because it reveals bad intentions," the US president wrote.

"It is possible that one or two (countries) may have a reason not to do it, and that will be accepted, but most should be ready," he added.

On Sunday, while American and Iranian officials reported a breakthrough in talks to find an agreement ending the war, Donald Trump called for "not rushing into an agreement" with Tehran.

AFP