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Trump: US-Saudi nuclear deal contingent on Abraham Accords acceptance
The US President made his comments after his energy secretary announced an agreement which would see US companies build nuclear plants in Saudi Arabia
Donald Trump has stated that a proposed nuclear deal between the United States and Saudi Arabia will only go ahead if the latter joins “the very respected and successful Abraham Accords”.
The planned deal – announced on Wednesday by US energy secretary Chris Wright, would see American companies building civilian nuclear plants, with the oil-rich country seeking to diversify its energy output. Wright described the deal as having been made to “advance U.S. and regional security by upholding high standards of nuclear safety, security and non-proliferation.”
Israeli politicians had expressed significant reservations about such a deal, raising the possibility of a nuclear arms race in the region. There was particular unease about the US granting Saudi Arabia such access to nuclear capabilities without the recognition of Israel, which was a condition believed to have been key in similar negotiations which took place during the Biden presidency.
However, in a comment on his Truth Social network, President Trump said that “The Civil Nuclear Deal (There will be no enrichment of material!) being made between the United States Department of Energy and Saudi Arabia, which pertains only to non-military use such as the ones that Iran and UAE (and others) already have, will be approved, but is totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords. The United States is not opposed to Civil (Non-Enriched) Nuclear Facilities.”
The Abraham Accords, signed by the United Emirates and Bahrain in 2020, normalised relations between the two Arab countries and Israel. Sudan, Morocco and Kazakhstan subsequently also signed up to the Accords, which have been widely seen as the key diplomatic achievement of Donald Trump’s first term as President.
Saudi Arabia has previously stated that it would not sign the Accords until after the establishment of a Palestinian state. However, the country was understood to be on the verge of doing so prior to the 7 October attacks by Hamas and Israel’s response. It is believed that one of the reasons for the Hamas attack was an effort to derail this process.
Responding to Trump’s announcement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote on social media that “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 Trump has said, Saudi Arabia’s joining of the Abraham Accords would be an historic leap forward for peace in the Middle East. Peace through Strength.”
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