Trump sends Saudi nuclear deal to Congress, ties it to Israel recognition

President Donald Trump has formally transmitted a civil nuclear energy agreement with Saudi Arabia to Congress, setting the stage for months of legislative debate over a pact that could reshape U.S. nuclear exports and Middle East diplomacy. The agreement was sent to Congress on Monday, a U.S. administration official told Reuters on Tuesday.internazionale

Israel Recognition Remains the Condition

Despite the procedural advance, Trump has maintained that the deal will not move forward unless Saudi Arabia joins the Abraham Accords and normalizes relations with Israel. "The president's position has not changed that the agreement will only move forward if Saudi Arabia joins the Abraham Accords," the official said in an email to Reuters.internazionale

The Wall Street Journal News Corp ↘ 0.03%, which first reported the submission, noted that the move is expected to trigger vigorous discussions among legislators over how to bolster the U.S. nuclear industry while limiting weapons proliferation in the Middle East.wsj

It remains unclear how sending the deal to Congress, which has 90 session days to consider it, will advance Trump's broader diplomatic objectives. Saudi Arabia has demanded an irreversible path to a Palestinian state before recognizing Israel, a position that has not changed since Israel's war on Gaza began in October 2023.middleeasteye+1

What the Deal Entails

The 30-year agreement, reached in July, would allow U.S. companies to export civilian nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia. It calls for the construction of AP1000 reactors, a project worth tens of billions of dollars that would benefit Westinghouse Cameco Corporation ↗ 4.35%, jointly owned by Canada-based Cameco and Brookfield Asset Management ↗ 0.93%.internazionale

Trump worked on a similar pact during his first term. Former President Joe Biden also pursued a nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia and sought to tie it to normalization with Israel. Diplomats believed Riyadh was close to joining the Abraham Accords in 2023 before the Gaza conflict altered the diplomatic landscape.internazionale

A Complicated Path Forward

The Abraham Accords, brokered in 2020 and 2021, normalized relations between Israel and the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan. Bringing Saudi Arabia into the framework would represent the most consequential expansion of those agreements, but the kingdom's insistence on Palestinian statehood presents a hurdle that neither the Trump nor Biden administrations have been able to overcome.middleeasteye+1

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