Trump sends Saudi civil nuclear deal to Congress, maintains that recognition of Israel is necessary

President Donald Trump has submitted a proposal for a nuclear cooperation deal with Saudi Arabia to Congress, stipulating that the agreement can only be ratified if the kingdom recognizes Israel and adheres to the Abraham Accords, according to a US administration official. The July agreement would permit US firms to sell civilian nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia, valued at tens of billions of dollars, primarily benefiting joint Canadian and British entity Westinghouse, owned by Cameco and Brookfield Asset Management.

The deal, which was initially agreed upon, is currently awaiting approval from the 90-day Congress session. Trump's stance remains consistent: the nuclear deal will only progress if Saudi Arabia joins the Abraham Accords, a series of US-mediated agreements between Israel and Arab and Muslim-majority nations to formalize diplomatic relations.

The Abraham Accords, signed in 2020 and 2021, encompassed Israel's normalization with the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan. However, the onset of the Israel-Gaza war in October 2023 altered the geopolitical scenario, leading Saudi Arabia to demand an unconditional path to a Palestinian state as a precondition for recognizing Israel.