In a heated exchange, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bluntly rebuffed U.S. President Donald Trump’s push for Saudi-Israeli normalisation, reportedly telling Trump “NO” a hundred times as he tied any deal to Iran talks.
Reports say Trump is ramping up pressure on Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords, linking normalisation with Israel to ongoing Iran peace talks. His calculation: if Riyadh moves, other regional powers like Pakistan could follow.
According to The Times, Prince Salman erupted after Trump’s call on May 23, rejecting the demand outright and vowing to keep saying no.
A few days after the call, Trump doubled down on Truth Social, insisting Middle Eastern nations “should be obligated to sign the Abraham Accords simultaneously,” signalling he wants the deal as a precondition for Iran talks.
Saudi Arabia had flirted with normalisation under Joe Biden in exchange for a U.S. defence pact, but the effort collapsed when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to commit to recognising a Palestinian state. Riyadh still demands a concrete timeline for Palestinian recognition — a red line Israel refuses to cross.
With the Gaza war and Iran conflict hardening Saudi public opinion against Israel, analysts call Trump’s demand “tone-deaf.” Sanam Vakil of Chatham House labels it “a typical Trump move” that alienates allies.
The standoff underscores the high stakes: Trump wants a legacy-defining expansion of the Abraham Accords, but Saudi resistance could stall his Middle East peace gambit.
