Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff told Newsmax on Wednesday that the U.S. has been talking with other countries about joining the Abraham Accords, a significant achievement in President Donald Trump’s first term that established diplomatic ties between Israel and several Arab nations.
He told "The Record With Great Van Susteren" the discussions are "irrespective" of what is happening with Iran, where a ceasefire was brokered by Trump to end a 12-day conflict between Israel and the Islamic regime that began when Israel launched operations against Tehran’s nuclear and military facilities and Iran retaliated.
"We've been in discussions with multiple countries to come into the Abraham Accords, irrespective of what's happening in Iran," Witkoff said. "And those are successful conversations. We expect to have a bunch of announcements in the coming weeks, maybe a month or so, and that was always high on our agenda because it's a very, very important achievement that President Trump had in his first administration.
"And he wants to build on all of that. That's like the bedrock of all kinds of good things happening in the Middle East. So, we really want to see that."
The Abraham Accords came about in 2020 when the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan agreed to normalize relations with Israel.
Witkoff did not disclose details of the countries that would be part of an expanded Abraham Accords. At Israel’s 77th Independence Day reception at its embassy in Washington, D.C., last month, he said something similar on the expansion of the Abraham Accords, saying an announcement could be coming "very soon," The Jerusalem Post reported.
That led to speculation that Saudi Arabia could be brought into the fold. Despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties, Saudi Arabia and Israel have had a quiet partnership, especially over shared concerns about Iran, the Post reported. Intelligence-sharing and behind-the-scenes coordination have increased, especially regarding Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
During Iranian missile attacks on Israel in April 2024, Saudi Arabia reportedly provided the U.S. and Israel with intelligence, and Saudi sources said the kingdom intercepted "suspicious entities" in its airspace, the Post reported.
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Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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