ÉVIAN-LES-BAINS, France—President Donald Trump told Breitbart News and other outlets on the sidelines of the G7 on Tuesday that he expects additional Arab countries to join the Abraham Accords.
The exchange with Breitbart News came during his bilateral meeting with United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Breitbart News asked Trump whether he has had any recent discussions with Arab leaders about joining the Abraham Accords—a series of bilateral agreements that normalize relations between Arab countries and Israel—as the UAE did in his first term in 2020.
“Well, I’d love to have them. This is a man who’s very advanced. He was early in, and he’s done very well with them… the Abraham Accords… I think they should happen,” Trump said.
Trump called the original signatories of the Abraham Accords, which include Bahrain and the UAE, “very smart countries,” adding that no countries withdrew from the agreement during the Iran war.
“Do you notice that even during that period of conflict, nobody dropped out? Nobody said, ‘Oh, gee, I’m going to drop out.’ Nobody,” he added.
The president then expressed optimism that other Arab nations will join en masse and suggested that Iran had been an impediment to their joining.
“I think they’re all going to come in now into the Abraham Accords. The only conflict was a place called Iran, and I understand that. It’s a little bit tough when people were afraid of Iran. But I think they’re going to all start coming in. Good question,” he said.
The exchange comes weeks after Trump called on Arab (and other) nations — Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, and Jordan — to sign onto the Abraham Accords.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said that Trump’s comments to Breitbart News about the Abraham Accords were among the most important remarks he had heard from the president at the G7 on Tuesday.
“I sincerely hope the upcoming negotiations to forever foreclose Iran’s nuclear ambitions are a success,” Graham continued. “Due to President Trump’s actions, it is clear to me Iran and its proxies are incredibly weakened and their ability to generate another October 7 doesn’t exist, and there has been a major setback in their nuclear capability,” Graham continued.
“The ultimate win for taking on Iran is to open up a pathway to peace through Abraham Accord expansion and build on regional integration,” he added. “If the conflict with Iran yields this outcome, it will be one of the most successful military operations in American history.”