Donald Trump Eyes Major West Asia Reset, Urges Arab Nations to Recognise Israel

Amid accelerating diplomatic manoeuvres to wind down hostilities with Iran, US President Donald Trump is seemingly leveraging the peace talks to engineer a massive geopolitical reconfiguration across West Asia.

Behind closed doors, Trump is shifting his focus from a simple truce toward a much broader ambition--completely reshaping the regional security alignment.

According to Axios, the US President held a high-level conference call on Saturday with leaders from several Arab and Muslim-majority countries, explicitly stating that once the war with Iran concludes, he wants more nations to recognise Israel and formally join the Abraham Accords.

The unexpected assertion reportedly caught multiple heads of state completely off guard.

The strategic telephonic exchange brought together top leadership from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain.

The conversation took place even as sensitive deliberations continued over a prospective US-Iran peace agreement designed to help calm months of instability across the region.

During the discussion, Trump communicated to the assembled leaders that, following the end of the conflict, countries that currently withhold recognition from Tel Aviv should move towards normalising ties with it.

According to US officials quoted in the report, his insistence triggered a brief silence on the call, particularly from the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Pakistan, none of which possess formal diplomatic relations with Israel.

"One of the US officials said Trump joked and asked if they were still there," the report stated.

What Conditions Is Saudi Arabia Setting For Trump’s Israel Normalisation Push In West Asia?

The most formidable roadblock to this diplomatic campaign remains Saudi Arabia. Although Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has previously shown openness towards ties with Israel, the devastating war in Gaza, lingering tensions with Iran and growing anger across the Arab world have made it difficult.

Riyadh has maintained an unyielding stance, reiterating that any normalisation process remains strictly contingent upon a definitive, irreversible path towards the creation of a Palestinian state, something Israel refuses to accept.

Compounding his unconventional approach to regional diplomacy, Trump also floated one of his most controversial ideas again, questioning whether the Islamic Republic could eventually enter the normalisation fold.

"I would like to thank, thus far, all of the countries of the Middle East for their support and cooperation, which will be further enhanced and strengthened by their joining the Nations of the historic Abraham Accords, and who knows, perhaps the Islamic Republic of Iran would like to join as well!" Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Such a scenario appears highly unrealistic under Iran's current regime, which has for decades adamantly refused to extend recognition to Israel, routinely calling it an occupying power.

(With inputs from ANI)