President Donald Trump announced Thursday that a newly finalized civilian nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia will move forward only if the kingdom agrees to join the Abraham Accords and normalize diplomatic relations with Israel.
The announcement came just one day after Washington and Riyadh finalized an agreement under which the United States would provide Saudi Arabia with technical expertise for a civilian nuclear program.
In a Truth Social post Thursday, Trump revealed a new condition that had not been publicly disclosed when the agreement was announced by the Department of Energy.
“The Civil Nuclear Deal (There will be no enrichment of material!) being made between the United States Department of Energy and Saudi Arabia, which pertains only to non-military use such as the ones that Iran and UAE (and others) already have, will be approved, but is totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords,” Trump wrote.
“The United States is not opposed to Civil (Non-Enriched) Nuclear Facilities,” he added.
Trump’s statement marked a significant addition to the terms surrounding the agreement, which was publicly unveiled Wednesday by the Department of Energy. At the time, the department announced the deal but did not release the text of the agreement or mention that approval would depend on Saudi Arabia establishing formal ties with Israel.
The agreement was signed by Energy Secretary Chris Wright and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Abdulaziz. Official statements released alongside the announcement indicated that the Trump administration fully supported the arrangement.
“Rest assured, these agreements uphold the highest standards of nuclear safety and nonproliferation, while relying on the world’s best nuclear technology and scientists, designed right here in the United States,” Wright said in a statement.
“Thanks to President Trump, the American nuclear renaissance is underway and will deliver long-term benefits to the American and Saudi people,” he added.
Saudi Arabia has long maintained that it will not normalize relations with Israel unless there is either the creation of a Palestinian state or concrete progress toward one. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other leaders in the kingdom have repeatedly made that position clear.
Despite that longstanding stance, relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel have gradually improved in recent years.
In 2022, Saudi Arabia began allowing Israeli commercial passenger aircraft to fly through its airspace after years of prohibiting such flights. The two countries have also been the subject of reports suggesting they have coordinated intelligence gathering related to Iran. According to the article, Saudi Arabia has also reportedly assisted in intercepting missile attacks aimed at Israel.
Before Hamas launched its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signaled that negotiations were making progress.
In an interview with Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier, the Saudi leader said, “every day, we get closer” to reaching an agreement with Israel.
However, the article notes that the political landscape changed significantly after Israel launched its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The conflict brought longstanding disagreements over the Palestinian issue back to the forefront, complicating efforts to reach a normalization agreement.
Before his death on July 11, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) had strongly advocated for Saudi Arabia to establish formal diplomatic relations with Israel. At the same time, Graham acknowledged the challenges facing the Saudi leadership.
“His people would drag him through the streets of Riyadh for that,” Graham told Jewish Insider in late 2024, referring to the political difficulties Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman would face without securing concessions for the Palestinians.
Trump’s announcement now places Saudi participation in the Abraham Accords at the center of the administration’s civilian nuclear agreement with the kingdom, making normalization with Israel a stated condition for final approval of the deal.
[READ MORE: Trump Urges Braves Fans to Continue Tomahawk Chop Tradition]
