Trump Conditions Saudi Nuclear Deal Approval on Normalization with Israel and Uranium Enrichment Ban

US President Donald Trump issued a significant clarification on Thursday regarding the civilian nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia, setting two explicit conditions for its approval: a ban on uranium enrichment and Saudi Arabia's joining the Abraham Accords. Trump stated that the agreement, negotiated between the US Department of Energy and Saudi Arabia, would only be approved if Riyadh commits to the Abraham Accords, which are normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab states. He emphasized that the deal pertains solely to civilian nuclear uses and excludes any military applications.

Trump opened his statement by firmly declaring that "there will be no enrichment of materials," clarifying that the US does not oppose civilian nuclear facilities as long as they do not involve uranium enrichment. This announcement explicitly links the approval of the Saudi nuclear deal to normalization with Israel, thereby re-centering the Israeli issue in the US-Saudi negotiations. The clarification follows reports from Reuters and the Associated Press suggesting the deal might allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium, which Trump now denies.

By tying the nuclear agreement to Riyadh's participation in the Abraham Accords, Trump has made normalization with Israel a prerequisite for advancing the civilian nuclear deal, signaling a strategic shift in US policy toward Saudi Arabia and the broader Middle East peace process.