A landmark US-Saudi nuclear agreement will only proceed if Riyadh joins the Abraham Accords and establishes diplomatic relations with Israel, the White House said on Thursday. The deal would use American technology and expertise to help the Kingdom develop a civilian nuclear energy program.
The clarification marked a significant shift from Wednesday’s announcement, which made no public mention of linking the agreement to the normalization of Saudi-Israeli relations. Riyadh has repeatedly insisted it will not recognize Israel without progress toward the creation of a Palestinian state.
“This deal is contingent on this condition as far as the president is concerned, so we’ll continue to talk with our Saudi counterparts to get the deal finalized and hopefully see them joining the Abraham Accords very soon,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.
The Abraham Accords are a series of US-brokered agreements launched during President Donald Trump’s first term that established diplomatic relations between Israel and primarily Arab states. Current signatories include Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan.
Under the agreement, Saudi Arabia would build nuclear reactors using US technology as part of its planned civilian energy program. However, the deal reportedly does not require Riyadh to adopt the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Additional Protocol, which allows more intrusive inspections designed to detect undeclared nuclear activities.
The omission has raised concerns among nonproliferation experts and lawmakers in Washington, who warn it could leave Saudi Arabia free to enrich uranium — a capability that could eventually be used to produce nuclear weapons and potentially trigger a regional arms race. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman previously said Saudi Arabia would seek nuclear weapons if Iran acquired them.
The agreement, expected to underpin a multibillion-dollar nuclear energy program involving US companies, must still be reviewed by Congress before it can take effect.
