Washington: President Donald Trump has announced that a civil nuclear deal between the United States and Saudi Arabia will be contingent upon the kingdom's participation in the Abraham Accords. He emphasized that the deal would exclude any enrichment of uranium, aligning it with non-military applications.
According to TRTworld.com, the agreement allows Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium and develop nuclear reactors utilizing US technology, without obligating the kingdom to permit the snap United Nations inspections that the US has previously insisted upon in dealings with Iran. This development marks a significant shift in US-Saudi relations and has implications for regional diplomacy in the Middle East.
Trump elaborated on the conditions of the deal in a post on Truth Social, specifying that the civil nuclear agreement would strictly pertain to non-military uses, similar to the agreements in place with Iran and the UAE. He reiterated that the agreement's approval is entirely dependent on Saudi Arabia's accession to the Abraham Accords, which aim to normalize relations with Israel.
Saudi Arabia has consistently maintained that it will not become a signatory to the Abraham Accords without an established roadmap to Palestinian statehood. The accords, brokered by Washington during Trump's first term, have successfully facilitated the normalization of ties between Israel and several Arab nations, including the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco. Sudan's participation in the accords remains in negotiation.
This strategic move by the United States seeks to further integrate Israel into the regional framework and enhance cooperation among Middle Eastern countries, while also addressing concerns of nuclear proliferation.