White House Clarifies US-Saudi Nuclear Deal Contingent on Israel Normalization
The White House announced today that a landmark US-Saudi nuclear agreement requires Riyadh to join the Abraham Accords; meanwhile, SCO foreign ministers convened in Kyrgyzstan.
The conversation that mattered
The White House clarified today that a recently announced US-Saudi civilian nuclear agreement is contingent upon Saudi Arabia establishing diplomatic relations with Israel by joining the Abraham Accords. This condition, which was not publicly mentioned when the deal was initially announced, marks a significant shift in the terms.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated on Thursday that the deal is "contingent on this condition as far as the president is concerned," indicating ongoing discussions with Saudi counterparts to finalize the agreement. Riyadh has consistently maintained that normalization with Israel depends on concrete progress toward the creation of a Palestinian state.
The agreement involves Saudi Arabia building nuclear reactors using US technology, but concerns persist among nonproliferation experts regarding the deal's reported omission of the International Atomic Energy Agency's Additional Protocol, which allows for more intrusive inspections. This development sets the stage for further high-stakes negotiations between the US, Saudi Arabia, and Israel.
Multilateral pulse
Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived at the annual meeting in Kyrgyzstan on Friday, joining other foreign ministers, including China's Wang Yi and Russia's Sergei Lavrov, to discuss strengthening trust and promoting growth within the organization.
Bilateral threads worth following
US ↔ Saudi Arabia
Current State: A civilian nuclear agreement is moving forward, but its finalization is now publicly linked to Saudi Arabia normalizing ties with Israel.
Last Move: On July 24, the White House confirmed that the US-Saudi nuclear deal is contingent on Riyadh joining the Abraham Accords.
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