President Donald Trump, who champions an “America First” ideology and policy approach, touted his ability to cool international conflicts and cited several high-profile agreements and diplomatic breakthroughs he made across both of his presidencies in a Truth Social post on Sunday.
The post called for a deal between Iran and Israel, who have exchanged rocket fire in recent days following Israel’s attack on Tehran and several other cities. Since the 1979 Iranian Revolution, Iran and Israel have severed diplomatic ties and maintained a hostile relationship, marked by proxy conflicts and direct strikes.
Why It Matters
The Make America Great Again (MAGA) president has campaigned on and prioritized domestic policy but is also known for getting involved in international agreements.
Trump often touts that no major wars began during his first term, however, the U.S. did still engage in military operations at that time, such as in Syria. On the campaign trail, he frequently said this in contrast to his then-political opponent, former President Joe Biden, under whose Oval Office tenure Russia launched a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine and the Palestinian militant group Hamas conducted a deadly attack on Israel, prompting a large-scale Israeli military response that has lasted 20 months, decimated Gaza, and killed over 55,000 Palestinians, according to the Associated Press.
While the U.S. has helped mediate talks in the region, Trump has also implemented travel bans that disproportionately affect several countries in the Middle East.
Alongside his political dealings, he has maintained business interests in the region notably through The Trump Organization, which some critics have warned pose conflicts of interest.
What To Know
While Trump has only been back in office for about five months, his first term was marked by involvement in several international agreements.
In his Sunday morning Truth Social post, Trump said that Iran and Israel “will make a deal.”
He added: “We will have PEACE, soon, between Israel and Iran! Many calls and meetings now taking place.”
Although the second Trump administration has been involved in talks with Iran, no formal diplomacy has come out of it. The conversations follow years of strained, distrusting relations between the U.S. and Iran, which intensified after Trump withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) during his first term.
The U.S. is Israel’s closest ally, providing billions of dollars in military aid annually. In the most recent escalation, U.S. missile defense systems helped intercept retaliatory missiles from Tehran to Israel. Israeli strikes in Iran have killed over 400 people, according to the AP.
In his Sunday post, Trump pointed to several international conflicts in which he claims to have played a key role in resolving, such as that he brought “peace” to the long-running dispute between Egypt and Ethiopia over a massive dam on the Nile River, a vital water and energy source for the region.
While the United States helped facilitate negotiations over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) during Trump’s first term—and Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia appeared close to reaching a deal—Ethiopia ultimately declined to sign a formal agreement. Negotiations have largely been stalled in recent years.
Abraham Accords
The Abraham Accords, signed in 2020, normalized relations between Israel and several Arab nations, including United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, and Morocco. Sudan later joined in 2021. The U.S.-brokered normalization agreements were pushed by Trump’s then-senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner.
However, most other Arab countries still demand an independent Palestinian state based on the borders before the 1967 Middle East War, with East Jerusalem as its capital, before considering normalization.
The Trump administration has sought to expand the accords to incorporate Lebanon, Syria, and Saudi Arabia, although that remains unlikely with Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza and now in Iran.
The Abraham Accords have often been regarded as Trump’s biggest foreign policy achievement. Kushner founded the Abraham Accords Peace Institute shortly after, which has since been absorbed by The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Kosovo-Serbia Economic Normalization
In his Sunday Truth Social post, Trump pointed to his efforts with Kosovo and Serbia, writing “during my first term, Serbia and Kosovo were going at it hot and heavy, as they have for many decades, and this long time conflict was ready to break out into WAR.”
The Kosovo War ended in 1999, but tensions between Kosovo and Serbia remained tense and instable for the following decades. Serbia does not recognize Kosovo as a separate state, which declared its independence in 2008.
The Washington Agreement, signed in 2020, marked a U.S.-brokered effort to normalize economic ties between Kosovo and Serbia after years of stalled negotiations. While not a formal treaty, the deal included infrastructure, trade, and diplomatic commitments aimed at easing regional tensions and fostering cooperation.
U.S.–Taliban Doha Agreement
Signed in 2020, the U.S.–Taliban agreement committed the U.S. to gradually withdraw all troops from Afghanistan, while the Taliban pledged to prevent terrorist groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS from operating on Afghan soil.
The agreement laid the groundwork for the full U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, carried out under Biden. The withdrawal, and the chaos that accompanied it, drew sharp criticism from many Americans.
A bombing at Kabul’s airport during the evacuation killed 13 U.S. service members and more than 170 Afghans. Thousands of Afghan allies, including interpreters who supported U.S. forces, were left behind in a country swiftly overtaken by the Taliban.
Earlier this month, Trump suspended the issuance of new visas to Afghan nationals and moved to terminate Temporary Protected Status for some Afghans already in the U.S.
India-Pakistan Ceasefire
Trump compared an Israel Iran deal to the recent India Pakistan ceasefire in his Sunday Truth Social post.
In May, India and Pakistan exchanged cross-border strikes in a sharp escalation that raised fears of war between the two nuclear-armed nations. Trump claimed in a Truth Social post that he had mediated a “full and immediate ceasefire.”
Pakistan acknowledged the U.S. role in helping to de-escalate tensions, while India downplayed Trump’s involvement and denied that trade incentives played a part in the truce.
Trump reiterated his stance in the Sunday Truth Social post saying, “…just like I got India and Pakistan to make, in that case by using TRADE with the United States to bring reason, cohesion, and sanity into the talks with two excellent leaders who were able to quickly make a decision and STOP!”
What Happens Next?
While Trump has called for an Iran Israel deal, it remains unlikely the two will come together. Trump wrote in a Saturday social media post that the U.S. “had not nothing to do with the attack on Iran, tonight.”
Iran has said it believes the U.S. is involved. Israeli officials have reportedly asked the Trump administration to join in on efforts to attack Iran, with Iran’s nuclear program having long been a focal point of U.S. and Israeli concern. Tehran insists its efforts are solely for energy purposes.
Trump talked to ABC News’ Rachel Scott on Sunday about the matter, saying, “We’re not involved in it. It’s possible we could get involved. But we are not at this moment involved.”
Meanwhile, Israel struck Tehran again on Sunday, raising the death toll to over 400.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday that if Israel continues to strike across Iran, the Islamic republic would launch “more painful and crushing responses,” according to the government-linked Mehr news agency.
