WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump has said that the United States will not finalize a civil nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia unless the kingdom joins the Abraham Accords, an agreement to normalise ties with Israel.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said Saudi Arabia should become a member of the Abraham Accords and made it clear that a nuclear agreement would not move forward without that step.
“In order to do it, they have to be a member of the Abraham Accords… it’s time now that they do it. 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… they were the bully of the Middle East. They’re really not going to be that much of a bully anymore,” he said.
The remarks follow Trump’s recent approval of a proposed US-Saudi civil nuclear cooperation framework, although the agreement must still receive approval from the U.S. Congress before it can take effect.
In a statement posted on social media, Trump said the proposed arrangement between the U.S. Department of Energy and Saudi Arabia would not permit uranium enrichment. He added that the program would be limited to peaceful, civilian purposes, similar to civil nuclear programs operated by countries including Iran and the United Arab Emirates.
Trump reiterated that Saudi Arabia’s participation in the Abraham Accords would remain a fundamental condition for the agreement to proceed.
The president also addressed the situation involving Iran, saying he has not yet decided whether to authorize large-scale military strikes against the country. According to Trump, ongoing discussions with Tehran have become increasingly serious in recent days.
“We’re talking to them right now,” Trump said, adding that Iranian officials appear to be showing greater seriousness as negotiations continue.
