Trump: Saudi nuclear pact "Totally subject" to Abraham Accords

President Donald Trump said Thursday that a civilian nuclear cooperation deal signed with Saudi Arabia a day earlier is "totally subject" to the kingdom normalizing relations with Israel through the Abraham Accords, adding a significant condition that was not part of the original agreement as announced.

"This deal... pertains only to non-military use such as the ones that Iran and UAE (and others) already have, will be approved, but is totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords," Trump wrote on Truth Social. He also stressed there would be "no enrichment of material" allowed under the terms of the pact.

The nuclear agreement had been signed Wednesday by Energy Secretary Chris Wright and his Saudi counterpart, with the Energy Department describing it as laying the groundwork for a "decades-long, multi-billion-dollar partnership." 

But the deal quickly drew criticism from Israeli officials and lawmakers on Capitol Hill, with nonproliferation experts warning it lacked sufficient safeguards against uranium enrichment.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Thursday that the deal is "off" unless Saudi Arabia normalizes ties with Israel. 

"This deal with Saudi Arabia is contingent on this condition as far as the president is concerned," she told reporters, adding that Washington would keep working with Riyadh to finalize the agreement and "hopefully see them join the Abraham Accords very soon."

Israel, which had not previously commented on the nuclear deal, welcomed the new condition. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Saudi recognition would mark a "historic leap forward" for regional peace, adding that "the joint American and Israeli military action against the genocidal regime in Tehran and Israel's crushing of Iran's terror axis have created the possibility to expand the circle of peace." Saudi Arabia did not immediately respond to Trump's post.

The Abraham Accords, brokered under Trump in 2020, normalized relations between Israel and several Arab states, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco. 

Saudi Arabia has long insisted it will not join without a clear pathway toward Palestinian statehood, a position that hardened further after Israel's response to the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks made normalization politically untenable for Riyadh, according to a source familiar with the matter.