Israel-Iran conflict: US Congressmen see potential expansion of Abraham Accords

[Editor's Note: Follow the KT live blog for live updates on the Israel-Iran conflict.]

There could potentially be an expansion of the Abraham Accords once this ongoing military conflict between Iran and Israel ends, according to visiting senior US officials.

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In an interview with Khaleej Times on Wednesday, Nebraska congressman Don Bacon (Republican), said there is a “small interruption” but also potential for “expansion” in the Abraham Accords which gives access to Gulf leaders access to Israeli leadership.

“The UAE has great access to Israel's leaders because of the Abraham Accords, and they've been able to work with the Israelis on providing aid to the Palestinians in Gaza. Abraham Accords allows the leadership (in the region) direct access to the Israeli leaders. That's a positive thing. But maybe once this conflict is done and Iran's nuclear capabilities have been minimised, the Abraham Accords may actually speed up and expand. This could be a positive thing in the long run,” said Bacon.

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Brokered by US President Donald Trump during his first tenure, the UAE was the first country to sign the Abraham Accords with Israel followed by Bahrain in 2020.

A delegation of US Congressmen consisting of Democrat representatives Brad Schneider and Jimmy Panetta and Republican Congressmen Don Bacon and Zach Nunn, is visiting the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Israel. The visit is sponsored by the N7 Initiative, a partnership between the Talpins Foundation and the Atlantic Council.

Schneider is also co-founder and co-chair of the bipartisan Abraham Accords Caucus, which encourages deeper partnership among the existing Abraham Accords countries – Israel, UAE and Bahrain.

Schneider said they believe in the prospects and the promise of the Abraham Accords with the path to a better, more secure, more prosperous future for the Middle East.

“This trip was to visit UAE, Bahrain Israel — signatories to the Abraham Accords – as well as Saudi Arabia, and better understand how we might do more to strengthen, reinforce and expand the Abraham Accords in the future, and better understand the issues today affecting the countries that are a part of that future.”

“In a bipartisan spirit of Congress, we would like to see all the Gulf states including Kuwait and Qatar — as well as eventually Iran — being able to have a normalised relationship with Israel. The result will clearly be an economic success for the Middle East... We expect that leaders in the Middle East are going to stand up and define their own future,” added Nunn.

GCC doesn't want further escalation

On Friday, June 13, Israel launched an attack on Iran, killing its senior military leadership and also targeting its nuclear and military installations. The war entered its sixth day on Wednesday with US President Donald Trump asking Iran to surrender, but Iranian leadership rejected the call.

Don Bacon added that the representatives of the Gulf countries they met showed “deep concern about Iran gaining a nuclear weapon that is considered an existential threat. Whether through peaceful means or combat, Iran should not or cannot have a nuclear weapon. What I heard from many of the leaders is that they would rather see this done peacefully. I do see that the potential for the Abraham Accords can be extensive once this conflict is done.”

On Tuesday, the UAE reiterated its call for prioritising diplomacy and peaceful resolution of Iran-Israel conflict amid growing concerns over a widening confrontation in the Middle East.

Jimmy Panetta said the Gulf states and the US are worried this potential conflict will not escalate beyond what's going on right now.

Congressman Zach Nunn of Iowa stressed that a congressional delegation that made it a priority to come to the Middle East in the middle of an active hot zone so that it could highlight how important not only the Abraham Accords have been, but who else could be a potential member.

Jimmy Panetta of California said the Gulf leaders they met with were “obviously worried about this conflict and potential escalation.”

He added that the leaders in the region “hope not just a non-nuclear Iran, but a region in which Iran no longer threatens the stability of this area.”

The US congressmen said they want to see peace and asked Iran to respond to President Donald Trump proposal.

“This is not just good for the US, Iran or Israel and Iran, but for the entire Middle East. The Arab leaders that we've talked to also want to see de-escalation and meaningful but verifiable peace within Iran,” said Zach Nunn from Iowa.

He added that Iran should step forward and show willingness “to work with its Arab and American partners, and ultimately de-escalate with Israel. We can see a very successful Iran for the Iranian people.”

Brad Schneider elaborated that President Trump has been clear that Iran can come to the negotiating table, allow International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors back into the country, willing to get rid of their stockpiles of highly enriched uranium, abandon its efforts at enrichment, and commit to the compliance with the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Treaty.

“That's the starting point. One thing we've heard long before we came on this trip is that Iran with a nuclear weapon is a threat to all of the countries in this region, the US and rest of the world,” he said.

Waheed Abbas

waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com

Waheed Abbas is Assistant Editor, covering real estate, aviation and other business stories that directly affect the lives of UAE consumers. He frequently reports human interest stories, too.