According to Bloomberg, on July 23 local time, U.S. President Donald Trump said that whether the agreement between the United States and Saudi Arabia on civilian nuclear energy cooperation can be implemented will depend on whether Saudi Arabia normalizes relations with Israel. This statement undoubtedly cooled down the so-called ‘milestone’ agreement reached by the Trump administration the previous day.
On that day, Trump posted a message on the ‘Real Social Media’ platform, saying: ‘This agreement will eventually be approved, but the condition is that Saudi Arabia must join the ‘recognized and effective’ Abraham Protocol.’ This protocol was a diplomatic initiative launched during Trump’s first term in office, aimed at promoting Arab countries to officially recognize Israel and normalizing bilateral relations.
He also stated that the US-Mideast nuclear energy agreement only involves civilian nuclear energy for non-military purposes, and does not cover the enrichment of nuclear materials. This agreement is similar in nature to the existing civilian nuclear energy projects in countries like Iran and the UAE. “The United States has no objection to the construction of nuclear facilities that are purely civilian in nature and do not involve uranium enrichment.”
The report indicates that this newly added condition by Trump has directly disrupted the progress of implementing the agreement. The Saudi side has clearly stated its position: unless Israel agrees to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, Saudi Arabia will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel. The Israeli government has explicitly ruled out this possibility.
The US Department of Energy announced on the 22nd that the United States and Saudi Arabia have signed a nuclear cooperation agreement and accompanying bilateral safeguards agreements. The agreement is for a period of 30 years, involving American companies in the construction of Saudi civilian nuclear projects, with an estimated value of hundreds of billions of dollars.
The full text of this nuclear energy cooperation agreement with Israel has not yet been made public. In the official statement issued when the US Department of Energy announced the agreement was implemented, there was no mention of Israel or the “Abraham Accords”.
While the United States has reached an agreement with Saudi Arabia, the Trump administration continues to pressure Iran, demanding that it limit its nuclear program and hand over high-enriched uranium.
Iran and Saudi Arabia are archrivals in the Middle East. Criticists argue that this move by the United States has put the Trump administration in an awkward position: on one hand, it insists that Tehran agree to strict restrictions on its nuclear activities, while on the other hand, it is helping Saudi Arabia develop civilian nuclear programs.
This agreement will be submitted to the U.S. Congress for review in the coming days, and it is expected to cause controversy among lawmakers who oppose nuclear proliferation in the Middle East. However, reports indicate that it will be difficult for lawmakers to block the agreement, as overturning the president’s decision requires a joint resolution passed by Congress and approval by a two-thirds majority vote.
