Trump ties Saudi nuclear pact to Israel relations

US President Donald Trump has made Saudi Arabia’s normalisation of relations with Israel a condition for advancing a newly signed civil nuclear cooperation agreement, adding a major diplomatic hurdle to a deal already facing scrutiny over uranium enrichment and safeguards.
Trump said on Thursday that the agreement was “totally subject” to Riyadh joining the Abraham Accords, the US-backed framework that established diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab states during his first term. He also said Saudi Arabia would not be permitted to enrich nuclear material and that all cooperation would be limited to peaceful, non-military purposes.

The statement came a day after US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman signed what Washington described as a peaceful nuclear cooperation agreement, commonly known as a Section 123 agreement. Such agreements establish the legal basis for transferring US nuclear technology, equipment and material to foreign partners.

Trump’s intervention has created uncertainty over the status and wording of the pact. Initial accounts of the agreement indicated that Saudi Arabia could eventually seek permission to enrich uranium after a joint feasibility study, potentially marking a departure from Washington’s most restrictive nuclear cooperation model. Trump’s insistence that there would be no enrichment appeared to narrow those terms.

The White House said discussions about linking nuclear cooperation to Saudi participation in the Abraham Accords had been under way with regional partners. Officials presented the requirement as consistent with Trump’s longstanding effort to expand diplomatic ties between Israel and Arab governments.

Saudi authorities have not publicly accepted the new condition. Riyadh has repeatedly said it will not establish formal relations with Israel without a credible, time-bound and irreversible pathway towards an independent Palestinian state. That position has hardened amid the Gaza war, worsening humanitarian conditions and continued opposition within Israel’s government to Palestinian statehood.

The condition could therefore delay or derail implementation of the nuclear agreement unless Washington can bridge the gap between Saudi demands and Israel’s political position. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has welcomed the prospect of Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords, but members of his governing coalition remain firmly opposed to territorial concessions associated with a two-state settlement.

The agreement is expected to remain in force for as long as 30 years and could open Saudi Arabia’s planned nuclear power market to US companies, including reactor supplier Westinghouse. Riyadh wants to develop nuclear energy as part of its effort to diversify electricity generation, conserve oil and gas for export and support energy-intensive industries.

Saudi Arabia possesses significant uranium deposits and has sought the right to develop parts of the nuclear fuel cycle domestically. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has also said the kingdom would pursue a nuclear weapon if Iran obtained one, a statement that has intensified concern among arms-control specialists and members of the US Congress.

Enrichment is among the most sensitive aspects of civilian nuclear development because the same technology used to produce low-enriched reactor fuel can, with further processing, generate weapons-grade material. The United States has traditionally encouraged partners without enrichment programmes to import nuclear fuel instead.

Washington’s 2009 nuclear agreement with the United Arab Emirates is regarded as the strongest non-proliferation model. Abu Dhabi agreed to renounce uranium enrichment and spent-fuel reprocessing on its territory. Saudi Arabia had resisted accepting the same restrictions during negotiations conducted under previous US administrations.

Questions also remain over international inspection arrangements. Saudi Arabia has not implemented the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Additional Protocol, which gives inspectors wider access to nuclear sites, records and undeclared locations. The kingdom has taken steps to replace an outdated safeguards arrangement designed for states with little or no nuclear material, but specialists argue that stronger verification measures would be needed before major technology transfers.

The signed US-Saudi documents are due to undergo congressional review. Under the Atomic Energy Act, lawmakers generally receive 90 days of continuous session to examine a Section 123 agreement. Congress may allow it to take effect, attach political pressure for revisions or seek legislation blocking implementation.

Opposition could draw support from lawmakers concerned about nuclear proliferation, human rights and the possibility of a regional arms race. Others are likely to argue that rejecting cooperation would push Riyadh towards suppliers from China, Russia or South Korea, reducing Washington’s influence over safety and safeguards.