President Donald Trump recently declared that a deal with Iran is “largely negotiated.” As a liberal Muslim scholar from the Middle East who was forced to flee Egypt after defending Israel following Oct. 7, 2023, I know exactly what that declaration is worth without the Arab world’s full commitment behind it: very little.
There is an old Arab proverb: “Trust in God, but tie your camel.” The leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Egypt, and Jordan would do well to remember it now. The framework under discussion includes a 60-day ceasefire, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and a commitment from Iran to never pursue nuclear weapons and negotiate a suspension of its enrichment program. Iran, predictably, is already hedging on what those commitments mean.
