Skip to content
Welcome, thoughtbot's Giant Robots listeners!Start here
Abraham Accords
AI-generated illustration
ConceptUS

Abraham Accords

2020 US-brokered Arab-Israeli normalisation deals; Kushner returning as negotiator during the 2026 Iran-US war.

Since September 2020, the Abraham Accords have linked Israel with Arab states through normalisation agreements, but a 23 July US-Saudi nuclear deal was publicly tied to Riyadh joining them.

Last refreshed: 22 September 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic

Key Question

Can the Abraham Accords survive sustained Iranian military pressure on signatories?

Timeline for Abraham Accords

View full timeline →
Follow Iran Conflict 2026 →

Background

The Abraham Accords are US-brokered normalisation agreements between Israel and Arab states. Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed the initial agreements in September 2020; Sudan and Morocco later joined. They established formal diplomatic and commercial ties without resolving Palestinian statehood.

The agreements remain a reference point for regional diplomacy because they connect Arab-Israeli relations with US security and economic policy. Saudi Arabia has not signed, leaving its possible accession as the largest unresolved extension of the framework. On 23 July, President Trump said US-Saudi civil nuclear co-operation was conditional on Saudi Arabia joining the Accords, although that condition was absent from the Department of Energy signing announcement.

Iranian pressure on Gulf signatories has tested the security assumptions around normalisation. The UAE closed its Tehran embassy in March and dismantled networks linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard, showing how the conflict has reshaped the operating environment for an Accords signatory.

Common Questions
What are the Abraham Accords?
US-brokered normalisation agreements signed in September 2020 establishing diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab states, beginning with the UAE and Bahrain.Source: entity

Reference

What did the Abraham Accords mean for Palestine?
The Palestinian Authority rejected them as a betrayal, arguing that Arab states normalised with Israel without securing any concessions on Palestinian statehood.Source: entity
Which countries signed the Abraham Accords?
Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco. The UAE and Bahrain signed first in September 2020.Source: entity
What happened to the UAE after it signed the Abraham Accords?
The UAE was subjected to sustained Iranian missile and drone attacks from February 2026, recording 7 killed and 142 injured. It subsequently closed its embassy in Tehran and dismantled IRGC-linked financial networks on its soil.Source: Background
Why is Iran attacking Abraham Accords signatories?
Iran condemned the Accords as a betrayal of the Palestinian cause and a US-Israeli encirclement project. It has since targeted signatory states — particularly Bahrain and the UAE — to impose a security cost on normalisation.Source: Background
What role does Jared Kushner play in the 2026 Iran-US talks?
Kushner, the architect of the 2020 Abraham Accords, joined Steve Witkoff for indirect talks in Doha on 30 June 2026, meeting with Qatari and Pakistani intermediaries. There was no direct US-Iran meeting and no new instrument was signed, but the talks represented an effort to formalise the verbal stand-down into a durable framework.Source: Lowdown
Has Saudi Arabia signed the Abraham Accords?
No. Saudi Arabia did not sign the 2020 Accords and remains the largest outstanding normalisation target in the region. Its position has grown more ambiguous as the 2026 Iran conflict has developed.Source: Background
Are the Abraham Accords still in effect?
Formally yes, though sustained Iranian strikes on Bahrain and UAE have placed them under severe political and military stress in 2026.Source: entity
Source Material
Abraham AccordsAbraham Accords DeclarationThe Abraham Accords: Full Text and Joint Statements