U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said Wednesday that new countries may soon join the Abraham Accords, the U.S.-brokered normalization agreements between Israel and Arab states.
“We think we're going to have some pretty big announcements on countries that are now coming into the Abraham Peace Accords,” Witkoff told CNBC in an interview, following speculation that Israel’s military gains in its military campaign against Iran could incentivize more nations in the region to normalize ties with Jerusalem.
The Abraham Accords were signed in September 2020 at the White House, initially bringing together Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Morocco and Sudan joined the framework shortly afterward. Talks between Israel and Saudi Arabia had been progressing but were suspended after the Hamas-led assault on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the subsequent war.
Last month, Trump met with Syria’s new leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, and publicly urged him to join the Abraham Accords as well.
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U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
(Photo: Maayan Toaf/GPO)
Witkoff also commented on the potential renewal of nuclear negotiations with Iran, saying talks could resume as early as next week following the ceasefire that went into effect Tuesday. “We're hopeful for a comprehensive peace agreement [with Tehran],” he said. “We were hopeful when we first started negotiations. It didn't quite work that way, but today we are hopeful... I think they're ready. That's my strong sense."
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However, he stressed that uranium enrichment and a push for nuclear weapons remain a red line for Washington. “Enrichment is the red line, and beyond enrichment—weaponization is the red line. That would destabilize the entire region,” he said. “Everyone will then need a bomb—and we just can't have that.”