Saudis must recognise Israel for nuclear deal, says Trump
US President Donald Trump has said the deal between the US and Saudi Arabia to help the Gulf kingdom develop nuclear energy is dependent on Riyadh recognising the State of Israel.
“The Civil Nuclear Deal (There will be no enrichment of material!)… which pertains only to non-military use… will be approved, but is totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
The Trump-brokered Abraham Accords have led to five countries – including two Arab nations – recognising Israel.
Saudi Arabia has previously said it will not do so without the establishment of a Palestinian state.
During Trump’s first term as US president, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain signed the Abraham Accords, resulting in a historic normalisation of relations between Israel and two Arab nations – the first in decades.
Sudan, Morocco and Kazakhstan have since also signed them.
Saudi Arabia has not so far responded to Trump’s remarks, which come after criticism from experts that the deal announced on Wednesday could run the risk of future nuclear proliferation in an already unstable region.
It was also not immediately clear if the condition of joining the Abraham Accords was stipulated in the text of the nuclear deal – which has not been released – or whether Saudi Arabia had agreed to that condition.
Meanwhile, Israel welcomed Trump’s statement.
Posting on X, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Saudi Arabia joining the accords “would be an historic leap forward for peace in the Middle East”.
The statement did not mention the nuclear deal. However, Israeli Economy Minister Nir Barkat had previously said his country “can manage it” if Saudi Arabia had nuclear power for peaceful purposes.
Israel is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons, although it neither confirms nor denies this.
The US-Saudi deal has been described as a “peaceful nuclear co-operation agreement” that will provide “great access for American companies in the Saudi nuclear energy programme”, according to the US Department of Energy.
The nuclear issue has been at the centre of the months-long US-Israeli conflict with Iran, which has for years denied Western accusations that it is seeking to acquire nuclear weapons.
Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, told CBS News in 2018 that the kingdom was not planning to acquire a nuclear weapon, but that “without a doubt if Iran developed a nuclear bomb, we will follow suit as soon as possible”.
Earlier US media reports suggested the deal could allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium in the future, which can be used as fuel for power plants but also potentially to make nuclear bombs. However, Trump’s remarks appear to rule that out.
Rosemary Kelanic, director of the Middle East programme at the US-based Defense Priorities think tank, said it would be “quite shocking” if the US were to allow Saudi Arabia to develop uranium enrichment facilities.
“The US has never done that before. We have never helped another country enrich on their own soil,” she said, adding that “if you can produce your own nuclear fuel, you become a much bigger risk” for building nuclear weapons.
The agreement will now be sent to the US Congress for review.
Some lawmakers from both parties are expected to oppose the deal, although Trump’s Republican Party controls both the Senate and the House of Representatives, and opponents do not appear to have enough votes to block it.
Credit: BBC
