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Deal signed, then tied
The United States and Saudi Arabia agreed to a nuclear cooperation deal to establish a civilian nuclear programme in the kingdom, but a day later President Donald Trump announced a new condition on social media that Saudi Arabia must first normalise relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords.
“The United States and Saudi Arabia have agreed a nuclear cooperation deal to establish a civilian nuclear programme in the kingdom”
Trump said in an online post that the deal "will be approved, but is totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords," and the NPR report said the Saudi Embassy in Washington did not respond to NPR's request for comment.
The agreement was signed by U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, and NPR said the nuclear cooperation agreement would give U.S. companies priority access to supply nuclear reactors and fuel for a Saudi nuclear energy program.
NPR also reported that the administration says it will submit the deal to Congress, which has 90 days to review it, while Al Jazeera described the deal as expected to last 30 years and transfer U.S. technology and expertise to meet Saudi energy needs.
Al Jazeera added that the full text has not been released, and it said the Wall Street Journal reported a provision that could see U.S. companies build a uranium enrichment facility in the kingdom, even as Trump’s social media post suggested Saudi-based enrichment may be off the table.
Backlash and diplomatic suspension
In Israel, the condition drew immediate political reaction, and NPR said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed Trump’s condition that Saudi Arabia join the accords, with the prime minister’s office calling it "an historic leap forward for peace in the Middle East."
NPR also quoted Steven Cook, senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, saying, "Does a social post supersede a signed diplomatic agreement? I think this is one of the frustrations that other countries have had with the United States,".
Al Jazeera reported that Steven Cook wrote the demand has left the deal "in a state of diplomatic suspension," and it said Riyadh has yet to respond to Trump’s latest statement tying the nuclear deal to normalisation.
The Al Jazeera explainer said the deal must be submitted to U.S. Congress for review, but Trump’s new condition complicated the path forward, leaving it unclear when, or whether, the deal will be put before Congress.
Al Jazeera also laid out a potential fallback if the deal fails, saying Saudi Arabia could change course and look to cooperate with other countries with nuclear industries, including China, Russia, South Korea, the UAE or France.
What’s at stake next
The dispute over the deal’s conditions is unfolding alongside questions about nuclear oversight and enrichment, with Al Jazeera reporting that Saudi Arabia has reportedly not agreed to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s “additional protocol” document.
Al Jazeera said the IAEA is awaiting a request from Washington and Riyadh to implement verification measures under the agreement before seeking authorisation from its board of governors, while it also said Saudi Arabia has agreed to a bilateral safeguards agreement with the U.S.
NPR reported that Congress can object to the deal, but it would need a two-thirds majority to override a likely presidential veto, and it said the administration says the deal will be submitted to Congress for review.
The NPR report also described Saudi Arabia’s stated position that it will not normalise relations with Israel until there is a clear pathway to establish a Palestinian state, while it said the Israeli government strongly opposes Palestinian statehood.
Al Jazeera framed the immediate stakes for Riyadh by describing how the nuclear cooperation deal is intended to allow Riyadh to harness nuclear power to generate electricity and export more of its natural resources, even as the new condition leaves the deal’s timing uncertain.
