Trump Links Saudi Civil Nuclear Deal to Israel Normalisation Under Abraham Accords

Washington, July 2026 : US President Donald Trump has firmly linked a proposed civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia to the kingdom’s formal recognition of Israel, declaring that Washington will not proceed with the deal unless Riyadh joins the Abraham Accords.

Speaking after announcing a major milestone in the administration’s civilian nuclear energy programme, Trump reiterated that Saudi Arabia’s participation in the landmark regional normalisation framework remains a non-negotiable condition for the agreement.

Responding to questions about reports suggesting that negotiations on the nuclear deal had already been finalised before the White House introduced new conditions, Trump dismissed the speculation.

“No, nobody got out ahead. I mean, I just say that in order to do it, they have to be a member of the Abraham Accords,” he said, making it clear that the civilian nuclear agreement is directly tied to Saudi Arabia establishing diplomatic relations with Israel.

The Abraham Accords, brokered during Trump’s first term, paved the way for Israel to normalise ties with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan. The administration has consistently viewed Saudi Arabia’s participation as the most significant potential expansion of the regional peace initiative.

Trump argued that geopolitical conditions in the Middle East have changed substantially, particularly with regard to Iran, which he said had previously discouraged Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations from formalising ties with Israel.

“They and others didn’t want to do it because of the problem that they had with Iran. You don’t have that problem anymore,” Trump remarked.

Describing Iran as “the bully of the Middle East,” the President claimed that Tehran’s regional influence had weakened considerably.

“You don’t have a great power there anymore. They were the bully of the Middle East. They were not going to be that much of a bully anymore,” he said.

According to Trump, Saudi Arabia’s entry into the Abraham Accords would be a significant step towards ensuring long-term stability in the region.

“We want Saudi Arabia to join because it’s very important for the future of the Middle East. At some point they’ll join, and they’ll do their civil nuclear programme. It’s civil nuclear, with no enrichment,” he said, emphasising that any cooperation would be strictly limited to peaceful, non-military purposes.

The President also clarified that Saudi officials had long been aware of Washington’s position.

“Saudi Arabia knew that if they didn’t join the Abraham Accords, the deal’s not—I’m not going to do the deal,” Trump stated, adding that any eventual agreement would also require approval from the US Congress.

Trump made the remarks while highlighting what his administration described as a major revival of America’s civilian nuclear industry. He announced that four privately funded advanced nuclear reactor projects had achieved key milestones following executive orders issued last year to streamline approvals and accelerate deployment.

Claiming that the United States had regained its leadership in next-generation nuclear technology, Trump said the country was once again at the forefront of global nuclear innovation after decades of stagnation.

“We’re leading the world in pioneering the next generation of nuclear power, and there’s nobody even close,” he said.

During an extended interaction with reporters, Trump also addressed ongoing negotiations with Iran, saying the United States remained committed to diplomacy but was fully prepared to use military force if necessary.

“We’re locked and loaded and ready to go, but we’re talking to them,” he said, reiterating that Iran “cannot have a nuclear weapon.”

He added that discussions with Tehran were continuing under the leadership of Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other senior administration officials.

When asked whether Russia or China were actively supporting Iran, Trump said both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin had indicated they would not become directly involved. “I trust them,” he remarked, while adding that any assistance provided by the two countries had “not been major.”

The Saudi civilian nuclear negotiations remain one of the most closely watched elements of US Middle East diplomacy, with Washington viewing a potential Saudi-Israel normalisation agreement as a transformative development for regional security and strategic cooperation.

(The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)