US President Donald Trump has declared that a proposed civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia will only move forward if the kingdom formally joins the Abraham Accords and establishes diplomatic relations with Israel.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said Saudi participation in the regional normalization framework is a prerequisite for any future nuclear partnership with Washington. He stressed that the requirement had long been part of his administration’s approach, even if it was not publicly highlighted before.
The comments came days after the U.S. Department of Energy announced that Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman had signed an initial agreement aimed at advancing Saudi Arabia’s first commercial nuclear energy program. The proposed arrangement is expected to undergo congressional review before it can take effect.
Trump said he had not specifically discussed the Abraham Accords requirement with Wright before the agreement was signed, but maintained that both U.S. and Saudi officials were aware of the administration’s position.
The president also expressed confidence that Saudi Arabia would ultimately choose to join the accords, paving the way for cooperation on a civilian nuclear program.
Saudi Arabia has not publicly commented on Trump’s latest remarks. The kingdom has previously maintained that it would only normalize relations with Israel if there is a credible and irreversible pathway toward the establishment of a Palestinian state, a position that has so far prevented it from joining the Abraham Accords.
