Trump Sends Saudi Nuclear Pact to Congress, Insists Riyadh Must Recognize Israel

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resident Donald Trump has sent a proposed civil nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia to Congress while maintaining that the deal will only take effect if the kingdom normalizes relations with Israel, a U.S. administration official told Reuters on Tuesday.

The agreement, reached in July, would allow American companies to export civilian nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia. It was formally transmitted to Congress on Monday, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Saudi embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Under U.S. law, Congress has 90 session days to review the pact. Unless lawmakers object, the agreement will go into force. If Congress were to reject it, Trump could veto that decision, which would require a two-thirds majority in both chambers to override.

“The president’s position has not changed that the agreement will only move forward if Saudi Arabia joins the Abraham Accords,” the U.S. official said, referring to the U.S.-brokered normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab and Muslim-majority nations reached in 2020 and 2021.

It was not immediately clear how sending the deal to Congress now advances the president’s objectives, given the normalization condition.

Recognition of Israel as a prerequisite for implementation

Days after agreeing to the nuclear pact in July, Trump set Saudi recognition of Israel as a prerequisite for implementation. Former President Joe Biden had also sought to link a nuclear agreement to normalization. Diplomats believed Riyadh was close to recognizing Israel in 2023, but the outbreak of Israel’s war in Gaza in October of that year dramatically altered the diplomatic landscape.

Saudi Arabia has demanded an irreversible path to a Palestinian state before recognizing Israel.

The 30-year nuclear deal calls for the construction of AP1000 reactors, a project worth tens of billions of dollars that would benefit Westinghouse, jointly owned by Canada-based Cameco and Brookfield Asset Management.

Two congressional sources said the deal was sent to congressional leaders and is expected to be referred to relevant committees on Wednesday.

‘Hardly Ideal’

Some Democratic lawmakers and nonproliferation advocates have criticized the agreement for not explicitly barring Saudi Arabia from enriching uranium or reprocessing nuclear waste — two potential pathways to developing a nuclear weapon. The United Arab Emirates accepted such restrictions, known as the “gold standard,” in its 2009 civil nuclear agreement with Washington.

The Trump administration says the deal includes nonproliferation measures required by law.

Henry Sokolski, head of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center, said that by initiating the congressional review process, Trump has opened the possibility that lawmakers could approve the deal without the normalization and proliferation conditions attached.

“This is hardly ideal if you’re serious about no enrichment and recognition of Israel,” Sokolski said.

(Source: Reuters)