resident Donald Trump on Friday said he would not go forward with a civil nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia unless the Saudis agreed to a normalization in relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords.
The US and Saudi Arabia announced the agreement on Wednesday allowing Riyadh to enrich uranium and build nuclear reactors using US technology without the snap UN inspections Washington has demanded of Iran.
"We didn't specifically discuss it, but it was always understood. Energy Secretary Chris Wright knew, and Saudi Arabia knew, that the nuclear deal would not move forward unless they joined the Abraham Accords. That's been the understanding from the beginning. Subject to Congressional approval and other requirements, the deal depends on Saudi Arabia becoming part of the Abraham Accords. We believe the accords have been very successful in promoting peace in the Middle East. And now, the Iran factor is no longer what it was. Iran's capabilities and influence have been significantly reduced", Trump said.
But on Thursday, Trump conditioned the civilian nuclear cooperation deal with Saudi Arabia on Thursday on Riyadh normalizing relations with Israel, an action the kingdom has so far refused to take.