President conditions civilian nuclear agreement on Riyadh's formal normalization with Israel; major leverage in ongoing Saudi-Israeli talks
President Trump said Thursday the United States would approve a civilian nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia, but made the deal contingent on Riyadh's accession to the Abraham Accords normalization framework.
"We will approve a civilian nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia, but it is totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords," Trump said.
The statement represents a significant leverage point in ongoing negotiations over Saudi-Israeli normalization. The kingdom has long sought U.S. nuclear cooperation as part of broader defense and energy partnerships, but has publicly maintained conditions tied to Palestinian statehood and Arab-Israeli peace frameworks.
The move signals the Trump administration's intent to use nuclear cooperation, a major strategic prize, as incentive for formal Saudi recognition of Israel. The Abraham Accords, signed in 2020 under Trump's first term, established diplomatic ties between Israel and the UAE and Bahrain, with Morocco and Sudan following. Saudi Arabia has resisted formal accession, though Israeli and Saudi officials have conducted back-channel talks on normalization terms.
A Saudi signing would dramatically reshape Middle Eastern geopolitics and represent a major strategic win for both the Trump administration and Netanyahu's government ahead of potential regional escalations with Iran.
No immediate Saudi response was available.
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