Trump Links Saudi Nuclear Deal to Recognition of Israel

US President Donald Trump has sent a proposed civil nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia to Congress, while insisting that the deal will only take effect if Riyadh normalises relations with Israel, a US administration official said Tuesday.

The agreement, reached in July, would allow US companies to export civilian nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia. It was submitted to Congress on Monday, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

“The president's position has not changed that the agreement will only move forward if Saudi Arabia joins the Abraham Accords,” the official said, referring to US-brokered agreements that established diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab and Muslim-majority countries.

The Abraham Accords were signed in 2020 and 2021 between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan.

Trump had also made normalisation a condition of the Saudi nuclear agreement shortly after the two sides reached the deal in July.

The proposed 30-year agreement includes plans for the construction of AP1000 nuclear reactors, a project potentially worth tens of billions of dollars.

The agreement was sent to congressional leaders and is expected to be referred to committees. Congress will have 90 session days to review the pact. Unless lawmakers object within that period, it will take effect.

If Congress rejects the agreement, Trump could veto the decision, requiring a two-thirds majority in Congress to override the veto.

Saudi Position on Israel

Saudi Arabia has demanded an irreversible path towards the establishment of a Palestinian state before recognising Israel.

Diplomatic efforts to secure Saudi-Israeli normalisation gained momentum in 2023, but Israel's war in Gaza later that year significantly altered the situation.

Nuclear Concerns

The agreement has drawn criticism from some Democratic lawmakers and nuclear nonproliferation advocates because it does not explicitly prevent Saudi Arabia from enriching uranium or reprocessing nuclear waste—activities that can potentially provide pathways to developing nuclear weapons.

The United Arab Emirates accepted similar restrictions, known as the “gold standard”, in its 2009 civil nuclear agreement with Washington.

The Trump administration has maintained that the Saudi agreement contains the nonproliferation safeguards required under US law.

Experts, however, have warned that the congressional review process could potentially allow the agreement to advance without stronger restrictions on uranium enrichment or additional conditions related to Israel.