Trump Conditions Saudi Nuclear Deal on Joining Abraham Accords

US President Donald Trump stated that a civil nuclear cooperation pact between Washington and Riyadh will only proceed if Saudi Arabia joins the Abraham Accords and normalises diplomatic relations with Israel. Clarifying the scope of the proposed agreement, he added that any such programme would strictly prohibit local uranium enrichment.

In a statement posted on his Truth Social platform on Thursday, Trump emphasised that the proposed deal focuses exclusively on peaceful, civil nuclear energy. Noting that countries like Iran and the United Arab Emirates currently possess civil nuclear capabilities, he affirmed that the United States does not oppose civilian facilities. However, he made it clear that Washington’s cooperation remains entirely contingent on Saudi Arabia signing the US-brokered normalization framework.

The announcement marks a shift from earlier bilateral negotiations between Washington and Riyadh regarding civil nuclear assistance. Previous discussions explored provisions allowing Saudi Arabia to construct nuclear reactors using American technology and potentially enrich uranium locally. Those preliminary talks had also suggested bypassing the stringent, immediate UN inspection mandates previously imposed on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.

Joining the Abraham Accords presents a significant diplomatic hurdle for the Gulf kingdom. Mediated by the US administration, the diplomatic framework was officially signed at the White House on 15 September 2020 during Trump’s first presidential term. The accords established a foundation for signatory nations to normalize diplomatic ties, boost bilateral trade, encourage cross-border investment, and expand regional security collaboration.

To date, four Arab nations—the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan—have formally joined the Abraham Accords, establishing official diplomatic channels with Israel. Saudi Arabia, however, has consistently maintained a firm diplomatic stance: Riyadh will not join the accords or recognise Israel without a clear, binding roadmap towards an independent Palestinian state. Trump’s explicit conditioning of nuclear technology on Israel’s recognition sets up a complex diplomatic standoff between Washington’s strategic ambitions and Riyadh’s long-standing foreign policy principles.