Nobel Prize should be named after Trump if he expands Abraham Accords: US Senator

Republican senator Lindsey Graham said a Saudi-Israel normalisation deal under the Abraham Accords would transform Middle East history and potentially end the long-running Arab-Israeli conflict. He also claimed containing Iran would pave the way for peace between Riyadh and Tel Aviv.

In Short

• Khawaja Asif said Pakistan cannot compromise on its fundamental ideologies
• He said Israel's word could not be trusted even briefly
• Graham said the minister's old clip reflected Pakistan's current sentiment

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said that if former US President Donald Trump succeeds in getting Saudi Arabia to recognise Israel under the Abraham Accords, it would amount to ending the Arab-Israeli conflict and warrant renaming the Nobel Prize as the “Trump Prize”.

Speaking to Fox News, Graham said that if Trump manages to convince all Arab nations to join the Abraham Accords, it would become the “biggest change in modern history and ancient history of the Middle East.”

“If he can pull this off, if he can get Saudi Arabia -- the centre of Islam for the entire world -- to recognise the Jewish state of Israel, he would’ve ended the Arab-Israeli conflict that has been going on for thousands of years. They should change the Nobel Prize to the Trump Prize,” Graham said.

He further claimed that once Iran is “put in a box”, peace between Saudi Arabia and Israel would follow.

Graham also urged Arab allies to support Trump’s diplomatic push, warning that rejecting him would come “at your own peril.”

On Tuesday, Lindsey Graham questioned Pakistan's commitment to brokering peace between the United States and Iran, a day after Islamabad ruled out joining the Abraham Accords. His remarks came after Pakistan rejected US President Donald Trump’s call for it, along with several other Muslim-majority countries, to sign the accords and formally recognise Israel.

Pakistan had been chosen by Trump to mediate between Washington and Tehran. But Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said he was against Islamabad joining the Abraham Accords, which deal with establishing diplomatic, economic and security ties between Israel and Arab countries.

Asif said Pakistan could not compromise on its "fundamental ideologies", despite being in a difficult position as it seeks to remain in Washington's good books while continuing its long-standing refusal to recognise Israel since its inception. In an interview with Samaa TV, he said, "How will you sit down with those people whose words cannot be trusted even for a single day?"

Responding to the remarks, Graham said Pakistan's role as a mediator was questionable because of what he described as its long-standing animosity towards Israel. Writing on X, he said, "It has been apparent to me for quite a while that Pakistan as a mediator is more than problematic. Their animosity towards Israel is long-standing." He added, "As to the defence minister's comments about the Abraham Accords, saying that Pakistan would never join because they don't trust Israel: The clip may be a year old, but I fear the sentiment is fresh."

Amid doubts over Pakistan's neutrality, Graham said Islamabad should now clearly state its position on the Abraham Accords. "In that regard, it is imperative that Pakistan give an answer now to President Trump's call to join the Abraham Accords," he said.

The senior Republican leader also said it was undeniable that Iranian military aircraft were being housed on Pakistani air bases, and said past rhetoric from top Pakistani officials against Israel was disturbing. He was referring to a CBS report which alleged that Iranian military aircraft had quietly landed in Pakistan during the conflict.

According to the report, several Iranian aircraft arrived at Nur Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi shortly after Trump announced a ceasefire. One of them was reportedly an Iranian Air Force RC-130 reconnaissance aircraft used for intelligence and surveillance missions. The report said the aircraft may have been kept on Pakistani soil to reduce the risk of being targeted in possible US or Israeli strikes during the war.

After the report surfaced, Graham said there was a need for "a complete reevaluation" of Pakistan's role as a mediator in the peace talks. Islamabad, however, denied the allegations as "misleading and sensationalised" and reaffirmed its commitment to facilitating dialogue and de-escalation between the US and Iran.

The exchange has brought Pakistan's position under renewed scrutiny, with its rejection of the Abraham Accords, Graham's criticism, and the allegations over Iranian aircraft all feeding into questions over its role in efforts to ease tensions between Washington and Tehran.

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