Trump says Saudi nuclear pact hinges on kingdom joining Abraham Accords

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that US President Donald Trump has said a newly announced civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia is “totally subject” to Riyadh normalising relations with Israel through the Abraham Accords. The statement, posted on Truth Social on Thursday, came one day after the US Department of Energy announced a peaceful nuclear cooperation pact and a related safeguards arrangement with Saudi Arabia. The full terms have not been publicly released, and the agreement would still require approval by the US Congress.

According to Al Jazeera, Trump’s claim added uncertainty to an already opaque deal. Saudi Arabia did not immediately respond to his assertion. Normalising relations with Israel would mark a major shift for Riyadh, which has long resisted joining the accords and has linked such diplomacy to broader regional and Palestinian issues. Washington has sought Saudi participation in the Abraham Accords across both Trump and Biden administrations.

The nuclear component is also drawing scrutiny. Al Jazeera cited US media reports suggesting the pact could permit domestic uranium enrichment in Saudi Arabia, which would be a significant change from Washington’s usual approach to civilian nuclear cooperation with countries that do not already have enrichment capabilities. Trump appeared to reject that idea, writing that there would be no enrichment, but he did not provide detailed terms.

The issue matters because uranium enrichment can be used for civilian reactor fuel but, at higher levels, can also support weapons development. Non-proliferation advocates and some lawmakers have warned that the agreement could intensify regional nuclear risks, especially if enrichment is allowed. The Abraham Accords, first signed by the UAE and Bahrain in 2020 and later joined by Morocco and Sudan, have remained politically sensitive amid the war in Gaza.