More countries expected to join Abraham Accords, says US envoy

More countries are expected to join the Abraham Accords, U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff hinted at during an interview with CNBC on Wednesday. Witkoff also reiterated comments he'd made in an earlier interview with Fox News that he is once again leading discussions with Iran regarding its nuclear program.

"We think we have big announcements on countries coming into the Abraham Accords," Witkoff said somewhat cryptically, not specifying which nations might be involved.

Photos emerged on social media showing billboards in Tel Aviv that read, "The 'Abraham Alliance.' It's time for a new Middle East," with images of Arab leaders including Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.

'It is a red line if Iran tries nuclear enrichment again'

Regarding Iran, Witkoff expressed hope for a comprehensive peace deal, noting "a strong sense that Iran is ready." He added that current talks with Iranian officials focus on establishing a civilian nuclear program. However, he emphasized a key condition: "It cannot have enrichment."

"That's always been a red line," he said. "Enrichment is the red line, and beyond enrichment, weaponization is the red line." However, zero enrichment has in fact not always been the red line. When nuclear talks first kicked off in April, the U.S. came to the table with the proposal that Iran simply reduce its enrichment levels to only what is required for a civilian nuclear program: Witkoff himself had said 3.67 percent enrichment would be acceptable, the same as was agreed upon in the JCPOA under former U.S. President Barack Obama.

More from Witkoff

Witkoff says peace talks with Iran underway and 'promising'

However, Witkoff then pivoted his position mid-negotiations and appears to be maintaining it as talks restart post-war. "It is a red line if Iran tries nuclear enrichment again," he emphasized.

U.S President Donald Trump announced a cease-fire at dawn on June 24, ending a 12-day war that had erupted between Israel and Iran, triggered by Israeli strikes in Iran on June 13.

The announcement came just hours after Iran had launched several missiles at the American base al-Udeid in Qatar, the largest U.S. military installation in the region. The missile attack was in retaliation for U.S. strikes targeting three Iranian nuclear sites on Israel's behalf.

The Abraham Accords are a set of agreements signed in 2020 that established diplomatic normalization between Israel and several Arab states, beginning with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Announced in August and September 2020 and signed in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 15, 2020, the accords were mediated by the United States during Trump's first term. Trump has touted the agreements as a big success from his previous term that he wants to build on in his second.

With the Abraham Accords, the UAE and Bahrain became the first Arab countries to formally recognize Israel since Jordan did so in 1994. In the months that followed, Sudan and Morocco also agreed to normalize relations with Israel.