Trump Demands Saudi Arabia Normalize Ties with Israel Before Approving Nuclear Deal
President Donald Trump has revealed that a nuclear deal between the United States and Saudi Arabia is conditional on the kingdom normalizing relations with Israel. The deal, announced on Wednesday, pertains only to non-military use and does not allow for the enrichment of material, according to Trump.
Lawmakers and experts have expressed concerns that the civil nuclear agreement could fuel nuclear proliferation in the Middle East. The deal is subject to Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords, a US-brokered agreement aimed at normalizing relations with Israel. The Accords were forged during Trump's first term and have been signed by several majority-Muslim countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco.
An agreement to normalize ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia had previously been a US requirement for any deal allowing the Gulf kingdom to enrich uranium. However, Saudi leaders have long insisted that this would not be possible without meaningful progress toward a Palestinian state. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed the idea of Palestinian statehood, but his office has welcomed the prospect of Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords, calling it "an historic leap forward for peace in the Middle East."
The Energy Department has said that the agreements lay the legal foundation for a decades-long, multi-billion-dollar partnership that advances several priority economic and strategic objectives, including nuclear nonproliferation. The deal is expected to be submitted to Congress for review and would allow US companies to build a uranium enrichment facility in Saudi Arabia, pending a joint US-Saudi study.
Critics and nonproliferation groups have warned that the deal could further the development of nuclear weapons in the region. Saudi Arabia is a member state of the International Atomic Energy Agency, which promotes peaceful nuclear work and inspects nations to ensure they do not have clandestine atomic weapons programs. The deal was signed by Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman.
Lawmakers and experts have expressed concerns that the civil nuclear agreement could fuel nuclear proliferation in the Middle East. The deal is subject to Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords, a US-brokered agreement aimed at normalizing relations with Israel. The Accords were forged during Trump's first term and have been signed by several majority-Muslim countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco.
An agreement to normalize ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia had previously been a US requirement for any deal allowing the Gulf kingdom to enrich uranium. However, Saudi leaders have long insisted that this would not be possible without meaningful progress toward a Palestinian state. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed the idea of Palestinian statehood, but his office has welcomed the prospect of Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords, calling it "an historic leap forward for peace in the Middle East."
The Energy Department has said that the agreements lay the legal foundation for a decades-long, multi-billion-dollar partnership that advances several priority economic and strategic objectives, including nuclear nonproliferation. The deal is expected to be submitted to Congress for review and would allow US companies to build a uranium enrichment facility in Saudi Arabia, pending a joint US-Saudi study.
Critics and nonproliferation groups have warned that the deal could further the development of nuclear weapons in the region. Saudi Arabia is a member state of the International Atomic Energy Agency, which promotes peaceful nuclear work and inspects nations to ensure they do not have clandestine atomic weapons programs. The deal was signed by Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman.
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