TRUMP LINKS SAUDI NUCLEAR DEAL TO ISRAEL NORMALISATION ACCORD

President Donald Trump stated on Thursday that a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia announced the previous day is "totally subject" to the kingdom joining the Abraham Accords, which would require normalising relations with Israel. Trump made the statement on his Truth Social account, saying the agreement "will be approved, but is totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords". The US Department of Energy had announced the nuclear deal on Wednesday, describing it as "a peaceful nuclear cooperation agreement for a decades-long, multi-billion-dollar partnership" alongside a bilateral safeguard agreement for a civilian nuclear programme. Saudi Arabia did not immediately respond to Trump's claim.

The nuclear agreement requires approval from the US Congress. Media reports have suggested the deal would permit Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium domestically rather than importing nuclear fuel, a significant departure from longstanding US policy against providing enrichment technology to countries that do not already possess it. Trump appeared to deny these reports, stating "There will be no enrichment of material" and emphasising that "The United States is not opposed to Civil (Non-Enriched) Nuclear Facilities". Uranium enrichment is not prohibited under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, to which both nations are signatories.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Saudi Arabia's potential joining of the Abraham Accords as a "historic leap forward". Netanyahu's office stated in a post on X that "joint American and Israeli military action against the genocidal regime in Teheran and Israel's crushing of Iran's terror axis have created the possibility to expand the circle of peace". Any Saudi acceptance of normalising ties with Israel would represent a major shift for Riyadh, which has historically opposed such a prospect. The full details of the nuclear cooperation agreement remain undisclosed.