US President Donald Trump said Saudi Arabia must recognise Israel by joining the Abraham Accords before a proposed civil nuclear agreement between Washington and Riyadh can move forward.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the agreement, which is strictly for peaceful purposes and does not allow uranium enrichment, would only be approved if Saudi Arabia joins the landmark normalisation accords.
“The Civil Nuclear Deal (There will be no enrichment of material!)… will be approved, but is totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords,” Trump wrote.
It remains unclear whether the condition is formally included in the nuclear agreement, which has yet to be released publicly, or whether Saudi Arabia has agreed to the requirement.
The Saudi government has not commented on Trump’s remarks.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump has consistently made the condition clear during previous discussions with Saudi leaders.
“He has said if they don’t join the Abraham Accords, the deal is off,” she told reporters.
The proposed agreement has drawn criticism from experts and lawmakers who fear it could increase the risk of nuclear proliferation in an already volatile Middle East.
However, with Trump’s Republican Party controlling both chambers of Congress, opponents are unlikely to have enough support to block the deal.
According to the US Department of Energy, the agreement includes a peaceful nuclear cooperation agreement and a bilateral safeguards agreement, providing the legal framework for a long-term partnership focused on civilian nuclear energy while supporting nuclear non-proliferation efforts.
The department said the agreement will be submitted to Congress for review.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed it is aware of the proposed US-Saudi cooperation and expects to oversee verification measures to ensure the programme remains exclusively for peaceful purposes.
The Abraham Accords, brokered during Trump’s first presidential term, normalised diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab nations, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, Morocco and Kazakhstan.
Saudi Arabia has previously maintained that it will only normalise ties with Israel after the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
Israel welcomed Trump’s latest remarks, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office describing Saudi Arabia’s potential participation in the Abraham Accords as “a historic leap forward for peace in the Middle East.”
The statement did not address the nuclear agreement directly.
The issue comes amid ongoing regional tensions over nuclear development, particularly involving Iran. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman previously warned that if Iran successfully develops a nuclear weapon, Saudi Arabia would seek to do the same.
Trump, however, insisted the proposed agreement would not permit uranium enrichment, seeking to address concerns that Saudi Arabia could eventually use civilian nuclear technology for military purposes.
