Trump Ties Nuclear Deal to Saudi-Israel Normalization
US President Donald Trump announced on July 24 that he would not proceed with a civil nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia unless the country agreed to normalize its relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords.
The deal, signed by Energy Secretary Chris Wright and his Saudi counterpart Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, aims to develop commercial nuclear reactors in oil-rich Saudi Arabia. However, Trump emphasized that the agreement would only move forward if Saudi Arabia joins the Abraham Accords.
Trump stated that the condition was 'always understood' and that he did not discuss it with Wright before signing the deal. He expressed confidence that Saudi Arabia would eventually join the accords, saying 'at some point they'll join...and they'll do their civil nuclear.'