Trump expects Saudi Arabia, Iran to join UAE-Israel peace deal
US President Donald Trump said he expects Saudi Arabia and Iran to follow the UAE's footsteps and normalise ties with Israel.
2 min read
Saudi Arabia broke its silence on the UAE-Israeli deal this week [Getty]
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he expects Saudi Arabia and Iran to join the peace agreement between the UAE and Israel.
The UAE and Israel announced last week that they would normalise relations under a US-sponsored deal, making it the third Arab state - after Egypt and Jordan - to form diplomatic ties with the country.
When asked by a reporter during a White House press conference whether he expects Saudi Arabia to join the deal, Trump answered "I do."
"I see a lot of countries coming in fairly quickly, and when you have them all in, ultimately Iran will come in too," Trump said.
Jared Kushner, White House senior adviser and President Trump's son-in-law, stated last week that Saudi Arabia will inevitably normalise ties with Israel.
"I do think we have other countries that are very interested in moving forward [with normalisation] and as that progresses I do think that it's an inevitability that Saudi Arabia and Israel will have fully normalised relations and they'll be able to do a lot of great things together," said Kushner, who masterminded the Trump administration's controversial Middle East peace plan.
The kingdom broke its silence on the UAE-Israeli deal on Wednesday, when Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan told reporters on a visit to Berlin that "peace must be achieved with the Palestinians" on the basis of international agreements as a condition for any normalisation of relations with Israel.
On its end, Iran has strongly criticised the agreement.
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The UAE and Israel announced last week that they would normalise relations under a US-sponsored deal, making it the third Arab state - after Egypt and Jordan - to form diplomatic ties with the country.
When asked by a reporter during a White House press conference whether he expects Saudi Arabia to join the deal, Trump answered "I do."
"I see a lot of countries coming in fairly quickly, and when you have them all in, ultimately Iran will come in too," Trump said.
Jared Kushner, White House senior adviser and President Trump's son-in-law, stated last week that Saudi Arabia will inevitably normalise ties with Israel.
"I do think we have other countries that are very interested in moving forward [with normalisation] and as that progresses I do think that it's an inevitability that Saudi Arabia and Israel will have fully normalised relations and they'll be able to do a lot of great things together," said Kushner, who masterminded the Trump administration's controversial Middle East peace plan.
The kingdom broke its silence on the UAE-Israeli deal on Wednesday, when Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan told reporters on a visit to Berlin that "peace must be achieved with the Palestinians" on the basis of international agreements as a condition for any normalisation of relations with Israel.
On its end, Iran has strongly criticised the agreement.
Last week, Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard vowed that the "shameful" deal with Israel will bring a "dangerous future" for the Emirati government.
In a televised speech on Saturday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned that the UAE has made a "huge mistake" in normalising ties with Israel.
Bahrain and Oman may be the next countries in line to normalise ties with Israel.
Both Gulf states are reportedly in talks with the US and Israel to enter an agreement similar to the UAE-Israeli deal.
The UAE-Israeli peace treaty saw both countries signing their first trade deal, Israel scouting an embassy building for the Gulf country, as well as a planned corridor over Saudi Arabia for flights between Israel and the UAE.
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