President Donald Trump has stated that Riyadh’s participation in the Abraham Accords, which recognize the State of Israel, is a prerequisite for the historic nuclear agreement between the US and Saudi Arabia.
President Donald Trump stated, “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,” in a post on Truth Social. The historic nuclear agreement between the US and Saudi Arabia is contingent upon Riyadh recognizing the State of Israel.
Trump’s comments follow concerns from experts that the agreement would increase the likelihood of future nuclear proliferation in a region that is already unstable.
In the past, Saudi Arabia has stated that it would not recognize Israel until a Palestinian state was established.
The Abraham Accords, which Trump mediated in 2020, ensured the unprecedented normalization of relations between Israel and two Arab countries, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Since then, Kazakhstan, Sudan, and Morocco have also signed the agreements.
Saudi Arabia has not yet addressed Trump’s comments.
Furthermore, it was unclear at first whether Saudi Arabia had consented to the requirement of joining the Abraham Accords or would be compelled to do so. The wording of the agreement has not yet been made public.
Israel, meanwhile, applauded Trump’s remarks.
Saudi Arabia’s participation in the deals “would be a historic leap forward for peace in the Middle East,” according to a post made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on X.
The nuclear agreement was not mentioned in the statement. Nonetheless, Israeli Economy Minister Nir Barkat earlier stated that his nation “can manage it” if Saudi Arabia possessed nuclear weapons for peaceful purposes.
Israel does not acknowledge or deny the widespread belief that it possesses nuclear weapons.
The US Energy Department characterizes the pact, which was signed on Wednesday, as a “peaceful nuclear co-operation agreement” that will give “great access for American companies in the Saudi nuclear energy program.”
The US-Israeli dispute with Iran has been centered on the nuclear issue for months.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, told CBS News in 2018 that although his country had no plans to produce a nuclear weapon, “without a doubt if Iran developed a nuclear bomb, we will follow suit as soon as possible.”
According to earlier US media reports, the agreement would enable Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium in the future, which could be used to create nuclear bombs as well as fuel for power plants. Trump’s comments, meanwhile, seem to refute this.
The US Congress will now review the deal.
Although Trump’s Republican Party controls both the upper and lower chambers and opponents of the pact don’t seem to have the votes necessary to defeat it, some politicians from both political parties are anticipated to oppose the deal.
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