WASHINGTON (Horn Post) — President Donald Trump has said the United States will not implement its landmark civil nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia unless the kingdom agrees to normalize relations with Israel by joining the Abraham Accords.
The condition links two of the most significant diplomatic initiatives in the Middle East: Saudi Arabia’s pursuit of a civilian nuclear energy program and Washington’s efforts to expand the Abraham Accords, the U.S.-brokered agreements that established diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab states.
The United States and Saudi Arabia recently signed a historic agreement that would allow the Gulf kingdom to develop a civilian nuclear energy program. The U.S. Department of Energy described the pact as a peaceful nuclear cooperation agreement that opens significant opportunities for American companies to participate in Saudi Arabia’s expanding nuclear energy sector.
Israel welcomed Trump’s position, saying Saudi Arabia’s participation in the Abraham Accords would represent a major breakthrough for regional peace.
In a statement posted on X, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords would be a “historic step forward for peace in the Middle East.”
The statement did not directly address the U.S.-Saudi nuclear agreement. However, Israeli Economy Minister Nir Barkat previously said Israel could “manage” a Saudi civilian nuclear program, provided it remains dedicated to peaceful purposes.
Israel is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons, although it maintains a longstanding policy of neither confirming nor denying its nuclear capabilities.
The issue of nuclear technology has remained at the center of regional tensions involving the United States, Israel and Iran. Tehran has consistently rejected Western accusations that it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons, insisting its nuclear activities are intended solely for peaceful civilian purposes.
Trump’s latest position underscores Washington’s effort to tie broader regional normalization with Israel to major strategic agreements involving Saudi Arabia, potentially reshaping the diplomatic landscape of the Middle East.
