Trump: Saudi Nuclear Deal Depends on Israel Ties

President Donald Trump has stated that the United States will not sign a civil nuclear energy agreement with Saudi Arabia unless Riyadh joins the Abraham Accords and establishes diplomatic relations with Israel.

The US Department of Energy announced this week the signing of a framework agreement on the development of the first commercial nuclear reactors in Saudi Arabia. The document still needs to be reviewed by Congress.

Trump stressed that the condition of joining the Abraham Accords had been part of the negotiations from the outset. According to him, both US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and the Saudi side were aware of this condition.

Saudi Arabia has not yet signed the agreements because it makes them contingent on an irreversible process leading to the creation of a Palestinian state. Riyadh has not yet commented on Trump's latest statement.

However, the US president believes that Saudi Arabia will eventually join the Abraham Accords, which would also pave the way for cooperation in civilian nuclear energy. A potential agreement could bring significant contracts for the Canadian-owned American company Westinghouse.

(Reuters, est)