Trump Links US-Saudi Civil Nuclear Deal to Joining Abraham Accords
ISLAMABAD: US President Donald Trump has said that a proposed civil nuclear cooperation agreement between the United States and Saudi Arabia will be approved only if the Kingdom joins the Abraham Accords.
In a statement posted on his social media account, Trump said the agreement being negotiated between the US Department of Energy and Saudi Arabia would not permit any uranium enrichment. He stressed that the program would be strictly for peaceful, non-military purposes, similar to the civilian nuclear programs operated by countries such as the United Arab Emirates and others.
Trump said the United States has no objection to peaceful civilian nuclear facilities as long as they do not involve uranium enrichment. However, he made it clear that Saudi Arabia’s participation in the Abraham Accords would be a key condition for the agreement’s approval.
Israeli PM’s Office Welcomes the Condition
Following Trump’s remarks, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saudi Arabia’s accession to the Abraham Accords would mark a historic step toward peace in the Middle East.
In a statement posted on X, the Prime Minister’s Office said recent developments, including the joint US-Israeli military action against Iran and what it described as significant damage to Iran-backed militant networks, had created a new opportunity to expand the circle of regional peace.
The Prime Minister’s Office:
The joint American and Israeli military action against the genocidal regime in Tehran and Israel's crushing of Iran's terror axis have created the possibility to expand the circle of peace.
As President @realDonaldTrump has said, Saudi Arabia's…
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) July 23, 2026
The Israeli statement, however, did not comment on the proposed US-Saudi civil nuclear agreement.
Proposed Nuclear Agreement
According to a previous report by The Wall Street Journal, President Trump has formally approved the proposed civil nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia, although it still requires approval from the US Congress.
The report said the agreement would span 30 years and be worth several billion dollars, providing Saudi Arabia with access to civilian nuclear technology for energy production. Earlier reports had suggested the deal could potentially allow uranium enrichment within Saudi Arabia, although Trump’s latest statement explicitly ruled out such a provision.
Negotiations over the agreement have been underway for several years. During the Biden administration, Washington reportedly sought to link the transfer of nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia’s normalization of relations with Israel, a condition Riyadh had not accepted.
Israeli Opposition Raises Concerns
The proposed agreement has drawn criticism from Israel’s opposition.
Former Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman warned that any civilian nuclear program could eventually pave the way for a military nuclear capability, citing Iran as an example. He argued that allowing Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium on its own territory would cross a “red line” and could trigger a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.
According to Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Israeli officials remain concerned that the agreement could eventually provide Saudi Arabia with a pathway to domestic uranium enrichment, despite the broader diplomatic benefits that normalization with Israel could bring.
What Are the Abraham Accords?
The Abraham Accords are a series of normalization agreements brokered by the United States during President Donald Trump’s first term in 2020. The accords aim to establish diplomatic, economic, and security relations between Israel and Arab countries.
The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain were the first Arab states to normalize ties with Israel under the agreements, followed later by Morocco and Sudan. The initiative is intended to expand regional cooperation and promote stability through diplomatic engagement between Israel and participating Muslim-majority countries.
