US President Donald Trump on Monday said negotiations with Iran to end the war were progressing "nicely", but officials pointed out that a final decision may take some time due to the complex communication networks Tehran deploys to consult with its supreme leader.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump also said that countries involved in the peace talks with Iran should sign on to the Abraham Accords, which deal with establishing diplomatic, economic and security ties between Israel and Arab nations.
He said it would be an honour to have Iran as a signatory to the Accords.
"...after all the work done by the United States to try and pull this very complex puzzle together, it should be mandatory that all of these Countries, at a minimum, simultaneously, sign onto the Abraham Accords," Trump said, adding that it may be accepted if one or two have a reason for not doing so.
He cited "all the work done by the United States to try and pull this very complex puzzle together."
Trump said those countries would be honored to have Iran as part of the accords once a deal to end the war is reached. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump's post. The other countries cited by Trump did not immediately respond to the Abraham Accords post.
Trump said one or two of the countries he spoke with may have a reason for not joining but most should be "ready, willing, and able to make this Settlement with Iran a far more Historic Event than it would, otherwise, be.
"Trump is trying to sell an Iran deal as an Abraham Accords sequel: good for Israel, good for the region, tough enough for Washington," said Ali Vaez, Iran project director at the International Crisis Group.
"But he is trading one fantasy for another — from forcing Iran to surrender to pretending a fragile deal can anchor a new Middle East order."
Trump has repeatedly said he wants to expand the accords that he brokered during his first term in the White House.
The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed during Trump's first term in 2020, breaking a longstanding taboo to become the first Arab states to recognise Israel in a quarter century. Morocco and Sudan followed suit.
Trump had been upbeat about prospects that regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia would finally join the accords after a ceasefire went into effect in Gaza last year, but Riyadh has shown no willingness to move ahead.
Egypt and Jordan have already established relations with Israel.
Among the negotiators, the UAE and Bahrain are already members of the Accords, and Trump expects Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkiye, Egypt and Jordan to sign up.
According to US officials, Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is operating from an undisclosed location with little access to the outside world and is only reached by a labyrinth of couriers.
When the US sends proposed details, it takes time for officials in Tehran to reach the supreme leader, delaying a possible response.
A senior administration official on Sunday said the supreme leader had agreed to the contours of the current draft agreement, and Trump posted on Truth Social that he anticipated final word in the next few days.
US media reports said most Iranian leaders don't see daylight, spending weeks inside highly fortified bunkers and avoiding speaking to each other unless necessary.