Trump says Saudi Arabia must normalize Israel ties before nuclear deal is approved
President Trump has stated that a U.S.-Saudi civil nuclear agreement is contingent upon Saudi Arabia normalizing relations with Israel. The deal prohibits uranium enrichment and is intended for non-military use, though it faces scrutiny from lawmakers regarding regional proliferation risks.
Why it matters
This policy shift links nuclear energy cooperation directly to the expansion of the Abraham Accords, potentially reshaping Middle Eastern diplomatic and security alliances.
President Donald Trump said Thursday that a nuclear deal between the United States and Saudi Arabia requires the kingdom to normalize relations with Israel — a significant condition not previously mentioned as the deal was announced. There will be “no enrichment of material” under the agreement, he wrote on Truth Social, adding that the deal signed a day earlier “pertains only to non-military use.” Lawmakers and experts have raised concerns that the civil nuclear agreement could fuel nuclear proliferation in the Middle East. Trump added that the deal “is totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords.” The U.S.-brokered agreements aimed at normalizing relations with Israel were forged during Trump’s first term and signed by several majority-Muslim countries including the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, and later Sudan and Morocco.
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