Trump adds new condition to Saudi nuclear deal, says kingdom must
normalize relations with Israel
[July 24, 2026]
By AAMER MADHANI, COLLIN BINKLEY and MICHELLE L. PRICE
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday appeared to add a
condition to the newly signed agreement with Saudi Arabia for a civilian
nuclear program, saying the deal would require the kingdom to normalize
its relations with Israel through the Abraham Accords.
When the deal was announced Wednesday, neither the U.S. Energy
Department nor the Saudi government made any mention of it being
contingent on the kingdom's relations with Israel.
Trump’s social media post a day later asserting that the agreement was
subject to the Saudis joining the accords was unexpected and almost
certain to complicate any final approval. The accords approved in 2020
expanded the number of Arab and Muslim-majority nations with diplomatic
ties with Israel.
Getting Saudi Arabia to join would be a monumental diplomatic
achievement. The Saudis have previously made clear that normalizing
relations with Israel would first require the establishment of a clear
path for Palestinian statehood. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu has rejected the idea of Palestinian statehood as being
untenable for his country’s security.
The Republican president also said the pact does not allow for
enrichment of uranium. Nonproliferation experts have raised concerns
that the deal fails to include guardrails to prevent enrichment of
uranium to weapons-grade levels.
Trump said the agreement “will be approved, but is totally subject to
Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords.”
He added that the U.S. “is not opposed to Civil (Non-Enriched) Nuclear
Facilities.”
When asked by a reporter why the condition was not mentioned in the
initial announcement, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said
the president was the “final dealmaker” and has called on Saudi Arabia
to join the accords “on numerous occasions.”
The Saudi Embassy in Washington declined to comment Thursday on Trump's
assertions about the deal.
Netanyahu’s office in a statement applauded the prospect of Saudi Arabia
joining the accords as a “historic leap forward for peace in the Middle
East.” The statement made no mention of the deal to bolster Saudi's
civil nuclear program.
President has sought to build on the accords
Trump has sought to build on the accords, which also formalized
commercial ties between Israel and some Arab and Muslim-majority
nations. Saudi Arabia is the most important Arab power in the Middle
East, and Trump believes the kingdom joining the accords is critical to
establishing long-term stability in the region.
The new nuclear deal is expected to last 30 years and involve U.S. firms
in the program’s development. The agreement could allow for the building
of a uranium-enrichment facility in Saudi Arabia following a joint
U.S.-Saudi study, according to a person familiar with the matter who was
not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of
anonymity.
The pact is to be submitted to Congress for review, according to the
U.S. and Saudi governments.
The deal does not include the International Atomic Energy Agency’s
“additional protocol,” which would allow for more monitoring,
inspections and verification, according to a second person familiar with
the agreement.
The oil-rich kingdom’s Energy Ministry on Wednesday said the agreement
bolsters “efforts to diversify energy sources, advance cutting-edge
technologies, and expand opportunities for cooperation and investment in
ways that serve the mutual interests of the two friendly countries.”
Enrichment is not an automatic path to a nuclear weapon — a nation also
must master other steps, including the use of synchronized high
explosives, for instance. But it does open the door to weaponization,
which has fueled concerns over Iran’s program.
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President Donald Trump arrives to speak at Wheeler High School,
Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in Marietta, Ga. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree
Nikhinson)
Administration says deal is good for US firms
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters Thursday in the
Philippine capital of Manila that the agreement would make certain
that Saudi Arabia works with American companies instead of
“competitors” to build its civil nuclear program. China, South
Korea, France and Russia are among alternative partners that Riyadh
could look to.
“We’re not the only show in town, but we’re the best show in town,”
Rubio said. “We want to make sure that it’s our companies they’re
picking.”
Trump has talked up his push to extend the accords, but the
aftermath of Israel's war in Gaza and the nearly 5-month-old U.S.
and Israel war against Iran have complicated his efforts.
The agreements have proven unpopular in certain signatory countries
such as Morocco and Bahrain, sparking widespread protests.
Still, the Trump administration remains optimistic that an agreement
with Saudi Arabia on joining the accords can be sealed by the end of
Trump’s second term.
Deal faces early scrutiny from Congress, Israel and nuclear
experts
The White House and Saudi Arabia have not made public the text of
the nuclear cooperation agreement, known as a “123 agreement,”
alongside what the Trump administration described as a “bilateral
safeguards agreement” that was signed Wednesday by U.S. Energy
Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Minister of Energy Abdulaziz bin
Salman.
But it already faces scrutiny from Congress, some Israeli officials
and nuclear experts.
As details of the deal emerged Wednesday, opposition on Capitol Hill
and elsewhere began to snowball, with Republicans and Democrats both
questioning the wisdom of the agreement. In addition, conservative
commentators who have generally supported Trump’s polices asked why
the president would give Saudi Arabia such a deal without getting
anything in return.
Then on Thursday, Trump abruptly announced that the deal is
contingent on the Saudis joining the accords.
The United Arab Emirates, a neighbor to Saudi Arabia, signed a 123
agreement with the U.S. to build its Barakah nuclear power plant
with South Korean assistance. But the UAE did so without seeking
enrichment, something nonproliferation experts have held up as the
“gold standard” for nations wanting atomic power.
Rubio, as a Republican senator representing Florida, backed a
bipartisan 2018 proposal that called for requiring Congress to
approve any 123 agreement with Saudi Arabia. The bill was
reintroduced by a group of Democratic lawmakers in March but has not
passed into law.
___
Price reported from Manila, Philippines. Associated Press writers
Sam Metz in Jerusalem and Matthew Daly, Seung Min Kim and Matthew
Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
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