Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has questioned Pakistan’s credibility as a mediator in ongoing discussions involving the United States and Iran, describing Islamabad’s role as “more than problematic” due to its long-standing hostility towards Israel.
Graham’s remarks came after Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif rejected calls by US President Donald Trump for Pakistan to join the Abraham Accords.
In a post on X, Graham alleged that Pakistan was allowing Iranian military aircraft to operate from its air bases and said statements by senior Pakistani leaders regarding Israel raised serious doubts about Islamabad’s neutrality.
“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,” Graham wrote, adding that comments from Pakistani officials about Israel were “disturbing”.
Referring to recent remarks by Asif, Graham said the statements reflected a broader sentiment within Pakistan towards Israel and urged Islamabad to clearly respond to Trump’s appeal to join the Abraham Accords.
During an interview with Pakistani broadcaster Samaa TV, Asif said Pakistan would not support any agreement that conflicted with the country’s “fundamental ideologies”.
“Personally, I don’t think we should join any such accord that clashes with our fundamental ideologies,” he said.
Asif also questioned whether Israel could be trusted and reaffirmed Pakistan’s long-standing refusal to recognise the country.
“We have a very clear stance that this is not acceptable to us,” he said, adding that Pakistan’s passports do not even mention Israel.
The exchange comes amid Trump’s broader push to expand the Abraham Accords by encouraging more Muslim-majority countries to normalise relations with Israel as part of a wider regional arrangement linked to possible understandings with Iran.
In a recent post on Truth Social, Trump said negotiations with Iran were “proceeding nicely” and described the potential regional agreement as a possible “historic event” for the Middle East.
He called on countries including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkiye, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain to join the Abraham Accords, warning that failure in negotiations could lead to renewed conflict.
The Abraham Accords, brokered by the United States in 2020, led to the normalisation of diplomatic, economic and security ties between Israel and several Arab nations.
