President Donald Trump has transmitted a draft civilian nuclear energy agreement with Saudi Arabia to Congress, insisting it will only be approved if Riyadh normalizes relations with Israel, a US administration official told Reuters on Tuesday.
Mohammed bin Salman, crown prince of Saudi Arabia © Mena Today
President Donald Trump has transmitted a draft civilian nuclear energy agreement with Saudi Arabia to Congress, insisting it will only be approved if Riyadh normalizes relations with Israel, a US administration official told Reuters on Tuesday.
The July agreement would let American companies export civilian nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia, spanning 30 years and envisioning AP1000 reactors in a project worth tens of billions of dollars, benefiting Westinghouse, jointly owned by Canada's Cameco and Brookfield Asset Management.
Transmitted Monday, the deal is expected to reach congressional committees Wednesday; barring objections within a 90-day session period, it automatically takes effect. Congress could reject it, but Trump could veto that rejection, requiring a two-thirds majority in both chambers to override.
No Deal Without Abraham Accords
"The president's position has not changed: the deal cannot move forward unless Saudi Arabia joins the Abraham Accords," the official said, referring to the US-brokered normalization pacts Israel signed with the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan in 2020-2021.
Diplomats believed Riyadh was close to normalizing with Israel in 2023, before the Gaza war upended those talks, Saudi Arabia has since demanded a Palestinian state as a precondition.
Critics note the deal doesn't bar Saudi Arabia from enriching uranium or reprocessing waste, unlike the UAE's stricter 2009 nuclear agreement with Washington.
Iraq closed three border crossings with Iran on Saturday, security officials told AFP, after a drone attack on a Saudi pipeline was launched from Iraqi territory, according to Riyadh and Baghdad.
A lightning offensive by the Iran-aligned Houthis has put the militants in a position to control a crucial Middle East waterway, creating a major new problem for U.S. President Donald Trump as his war with Iran grinds on in its seventh month.
Saudi Arabia has shut down its East-West pipeline after the vital oil conduit came under aerial attack in the widening Middle East war, threatening to send energy prices even higher.
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