Iranian foreign minister on Saturday rejected US President Donald Trump’s remarks that Iran might join the Abraham Accords, saying normalization of ties with Israel runs counter to Tehran’s core principles.
In late September, Trump said: "Who knows, maybe even Iran can get in there," referring to the Abraham Accords — a peace deal signed during Trump's first term under which Israel normalized diplomatic relations with four Muslim-majority nations.
“Trump says what he wishes to achieve in different forms,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a televised interview. “The foundation of the Abraham plan is treacherous. It has no alignment with our ideals and will never happen.”
Araghchi warned regional governments that Tehran views normalization with Israel as a betrayal of Palestinian rights and said Iran’s position on the matter will not change.
Addressing Trump’s remarks that Iran’s support for his Gaza peace plan shows it wants peace, Araghchi said, “Trump’s interpretation of the foreign ministry’s statement is his own concern. We're not afraid of saying it, we supported parts of this plan, that’s all.”
“We have always supported any plan or initiative that leads to the halt of crimes and genocide against the people of Gaza,” he said.
Iran had made clear its views on the ceasefire proposal but did not trust Israel’s intentions, the minister added.
“There is no trust in the Zionist regime,” Araghchi said. “We have always supported the resistance and the people of Gaza and Palestine. Any decision that ensures the rights of the Palestinian people and facilitates aid to Gaza gives us no reason to oppose it.”
The ceasefire decision, Araghchi said, ultimately belonged to the Palestinian factions themselves. “The resistance has decided, and this decision belongs to the Palestinian people. No one can decide on their behalf."
Trump on Thursday said Iranian authorities had been in contact to express their desire to pursue peace and to strongly back a deal he reached aimed at winding down the war in Gaza.
"So Iran is different, but Iran wants to work on peace now they've informed us, and they acknowledge that they are totally in favor of this deal. They think it's a great thing. So we appreciate that, and we'll work with Iran," Trump added.
