Iran rallies Islamic nations against Trump’s Abraham Accords expansion

Iran’s supreme leader is launching a sweeping counterattack against President Donald Trump by trying to rally Middle Eastern countries into an anti-American alliance, an analyst warned Sunday.

The aggressive maneuver came hours after Trump proposed expanding the Abraham Accords, as one analyst said Tehran was trying to position itself as the region’s “new sheriff”, forcing Gulf states with back channels to Iran to choose between Washington’s security umbrella and the “New Islamic Civilization”.

Negotiations between Iran and the United States appeared to be continuing on Sunday, with Trump yet to sign a potential peace deal.

Trump recently held a phone call with leaders from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain to discuss expanding the 2020 Abraham Accords, and then shared a post on Truth Social on May 25.

IRAN’S KHAMENEI LAUNCHED A STRONG ATTACK ON TRUMP AFTER HIS MIDDLE EAST VISIT

Mojtaba Khamenei responded directly to X on May 26, calling for a “New Islamic Civilization” targeting the same regional capitals.

“I, with my sincerity and purity of intention, invite all Islamic countries and governments “To friendship and cooperation in goodness, so that by working together we can take steps towards the progress of the Islamic Ummah and the solution of the problems of the Islamic world,” Khamenei said.

Highlight “regional nations“and the common interests that will shape the new order and future architecture of the region and the world,” he spoke of the “Islamic ummah and the Islamic ummah.” #New_Islamic_Civilization“

He also warned that “the United States will no longer have a safe haven for its mischief and establishment of military bases in West Asia.”

“Mojtaba Khamenei’s statement is that the Muslim world must strengthen under the leadership of Iran – the ‘Ummah’, the ‘new Islamic civilization’ – against the American-led order.” Dr. Omer Muhammad he told Fox News Digital.

“That’s the theme, and it’s directly reflected in the narrative of the Accords. This is an attempt to build an alliance against the Abraham Accords,” said Mohammed, director of the Antisemitism Research Initiative Program on Extremism at George Washington University.

SENIOR ISRAELI MILITARY OFFICIAL DECLARED THE OPERATION AGAINST IRAN AS A ‘STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL SCAM’

In this photo from Iran’s ISNA news agency, Mojtaba Khamenei (C), son of Iran’s religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, walks on a street in Tehran on May 31, 2019. (Hamid FOROUTAN/ISNA/AFP via Getty Images)

“In his statement, he also frames American bases in Muslim lands as an occupation to be expelled, and packages this in religious language that portrays the regime as God’s instrument.”

The counterterrorism expert noted that the “Umma” doctrine, used for years by Mojtaba’s father, was not new, but the timing and targeted nature of this speech represented a major tension.

“This happened to the ummah with Iran, not with normalization with Israel under Washington,” Mohammed explained. “Same audience, opposite framework, 24-hour break and trying to build this alliance.”

“The full statement was published and published by Iranian state media. It also coincides with his first statement as leader on March 12, in which he demanded the closure of US bases in the region.”

“This was not a stray post,” the expert cautioned. “While the doctrine is old, targeting these areas the day after Trump’s speech is new.”

This attitude comes as Khamenei gains a foothold on the world stage, but his secretive nature complicates traditional diplomacy.

FORMER CENTCOM DIRECTOR PREDICTIONS IRAN’S ‘STRONG STRATEGIC MISCALCULATIONS’ WILL ACCELERATE GULF CONNECTIONS WITH ISRAEL

President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pose for a photo with leaders during the Gulf Cooperation Council Leaders Summit at The Ritz-Carlton in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on May 14, 2025. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

“Tehran is selling itself to the region as the new sheriff of the neighborhood,” Mohammed warned.

“The Saudis, Qataris and Omanis have channels to the Iranian state, but you cannot open a back channel to a man whom no one can locate. All of this is carried out through Pezeshkian and Araghchi.”

Despite Iran’s immediate “friendship” rhetoric, regional reality is defined by months of Iranian aggression against its neighbors.

Tehran forces actively opened fire on Bahrain, Qatar, UAE and Kuwait.

Mohammed added that Tehran wants to distance the Gulf countries from Washington, but its threats continue to be directed at both the United States and the countries hosting American forces.

“Iran has spent this war shooting at them; it has hit Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE and Kuwait; it has hit the same capitals it now invites to brotherhood, and the UAE alone has reported the capture of close to 2,000 drones and hundreds of ballistic missiles since February 28,” Mohammed said. he said.

“These are the states that host our forces: the Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, Al Dhafra in the UAE and Al Udeid in Qatar. You do not come under Iranian fire for three months and then sign its alliance.”

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Ultimately, Gulf capitals remain deeply skeptical of Tehran, Mohammed said, but they are equally mindful of America’s resolve.

“What really worries the Gulf is not Mojtaba’s invitation; it is an agreement that Washington can sign,” said Mohammed, “an agreement that will give Iran its money back with its missiles intact and reward the regime that just attacked them.”