Trump says ‘nobody got out ahead’ on Saudi nuclear deal despite Abraham Accords twist - The Hill

What the report says

The Hill reported that President Trump on Friday rejected the idea that Energy Secretary Chris Wright had moved ahead of him in announcing a U.S.-Saudi civil nuclear agreement. Speaking in the Oval Office at a nuclear power event with Wright present, Trump said the announcement had not gotten ahead of his position, while emphasizing a condition he said remained important: Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords.

The issue arose after CNN reported that Trump had been surprised by Wright’s announcement. According to The Hill, the emerging deal drew attention because it appeared to omit a condition Trump has long promoted — Saudi normalization with Israel — as part of a broader regional diplomatic framework. Trump said Saudi Arabia should become part of the accords, which during his first term established ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

The Hill noted that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has previously tied normalization with Israel to progress toward a Palestinian state, a step described in the article as unlikely under Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu given Israeli politics and public attitudes. Trump suggested Saudi hesitation had been linked to fear of Iranian attacks, while saying that threat had changed after the recent U.S.- and Israel-launched war with Iran.

Trump also sought to address concerns about the nuclear terms, saying the arrangement would be for civilian nuclear purposes and would not include enrichment. The distinction matters because uranium enrichment can be used for reactor fuel but is also central to nuclear weapons capability, making any U.S.-Saudi nuclear cooperation politically sensitive in Congress and in Middle East diplomacy.