During a Saturday telephone conference with the leaders of several Muslim states in the region, Trump said that if a deal with Iran is signed, he expects those who have not yet joined the Abraham Accords to normalize ties with Israel and sign on.

The Arab leaders were speechless.

The leaders of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain had joined the call to discuss the emerging deal with Iran. Only two of those countries, the UAE and Bahrain, have signed the Abraham Accords. Saudi Arabia had in the past expressed its willingness to join, but as its split with the UAE over Yemen grew over the past year, it took a more hardline approach toward Israel.

When Trump mentioned his expectation of normalization of ties with Israel, the response was silence.

“There was silence on the line and Trump joked and asked if they are still there,” a U.S. official said.

In his Truth Social post that JBN reported earlier Sunday, Trump wrote, “I would like to thank, thus far, all of the countries of the Middle East for their support and cooperation, which will be further enhanced and strengthened by their joining the Nations of the historic Abraham Accords.”

“And, who knows, perhaps the Islamic Republic of Iran would like to join, as well!” he added.

This would require Iran to recognize Israel, something it has refused to do since the fall of the Shah in 1979. Middle East analysts do not believe the current regime would be willing to do so; it would take a change of regime for something like that to happen.

Separately, President Donald Trump said Sunday that he told his negotiators not to rush into a deal with Iran, while keeping the blockade in place. He said that given Iran’s obfuscations, it may take days to finalize a deal.

While both sides signaled forward movement on the deal, Iran’s nuclear issues remain a thorny problem. The current framework includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz and a 60-day ceasefire while discussions of Iran’s nuclear program remain ongoing.

“There is still back and forth on specific details. Some words we care about, some words they care about,” a U.S. official said. “Our understanding is that the Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has endorsed the broad template of the deal. Whether this becomes an agreement is still an open question.”