Trump ties US-Saudi nuclear pact to Abraham Accords, raising new questions

Details are emerging about the launch of a civilian nuclear energy agreement between the United States and Saudi Arabia after President Trump publicly appeared to contradict reports about one of its most contentious provisions, raising new questions about uranium enrichment and the future of Saudi-Israel normalization.

The agreement was announced last week by U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, reportedly to the surprise of President Trump, who had planned to unveil it himself and was said to be furious that Wright announced it first.

The deal has drawn scrutiny from analysts across the political spectrum, particularly over reports that it could allow uranium enrichment on Saudi soil.

Such a provision would mark a significant shift in longstanding nonproliferation policy aimed at limiting the spread of nuclear weapons since the end of World War II.

Negotiations over the agreement had been closely followed in the media. Just one day before Wright's announcement, The Wall Street Journal reported that the deal's finalization was imminent.

Criticism of the agreement by the newspaper and other conservative media outlets was also reportedly poorly received at the White House.

Minutes after Fox News aired a panel discussion raising questions about the agreement, Trump posted on Truth Social that the deal does not allow uranium enrichment on Saudi soil but “pertains only to non-military use such as the ones that Iran and UAE (and others) already have." He also said it "is totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords."

Trump's statement surprised many analysts because the Biden administration had previously made Saudi participation in the Abraham Accords a condition for any agreement to provide the kingdom with US nuclear energy technology. Many observers had believed Trump would not insist on maintaining that requirement.

Saudi officials, however, responded by saying they had signed an agreement that did not include such a condition and that they expected Washington to honor the finalized deal regardless of Trump's subsequent social media post.

Trump's comments also prompted speculation about whether Israel had sought to influence his position. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump has not recently discussed the agreement with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“The president is always the final dealmaker, as you know,” Leavitt said during the daily press briefing to reporters on Friday. She added that the Abraham Accords were “something that he feels very strongly about and has spoken about it in the past and will continue to uphold.”

The Abraham Accords, which normalized diplomatic, political and economic relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco, were among the signature foreign policy achievements of Trump's first term.

In the days leading up to the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, there were indications that Saudi Arabia, and possibly Indonesia, could also join the accords.

Saudi Arabia has consistently maintained that it would join the Abraham Accords only if Israel committed to a serious and realistic pathway toward establishing a Palestinian state.

Many analysts and diplomats, however, have argued that the condition remains deliberately vague and could potentially be addressed in a manner that accommodates Israel's security concerns.