Pakistan rejects Trump call to join Abraham Accords as part of Iran deal

Pakistan will not join any agreement aimed at normalizing ties with Israel, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said on Tuesday, adding that Islamabad would reject any deal that conflicted with its "fundamental ideologies."

Asif's remarks came after US President Donald Trump said in a social media post that Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey and Pakistan – all involved in mediating US -Iran talks – should "immediately" join the Abraham Accords or refrain from participating in mediation efforts.

Trump also said that if Washington and Tehran reached an agreement, Iran should join the accords as well.

The Abraham Accords, brokered by the United States in 2020, led to the normalization of relations between Israel and several Arab states, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.

Before the outbreak of the latest Israel-Gaza conflict in October 2023, Washington had pushed for the normalization of ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel. Riyadh later suspended the talks following the start of the conflict.

(Cover: Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Asif addresses the Summit of the Future at the United Nations General Assembly, September 23, 2024. /VCG)