Till a day ago, the deal which was being described as a “historic partnership” between America and Saudi Arabia, the very next day Donald Trump himself imposed a new condition on the foundation of the same deal. On Wednesday, the US Energy Minister and Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman signed the Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement. But on Thursday morning, Trump changed the course of the entire matter by posting a post on Truth Social.
He said that this deal will be implemented only when Saudi Arabia becomes a part of ‘Abraham Accords’ by normalizing relations with Israel.
Why condition after signing?
This development is also interesting because there was no mention of the Abraham Accords in the US Energy Department’s statement issued on the day the deal was signed. That is, the condition that Trump is now adding was not a part of the document that both parties actually signed. White House Press Secretary Carolyn Levitt later clearly told reporters that this condition is necessary for the President and if Saudi Arabia refuses to do so, the entire deal may be in jeopardy.
What is also interesting is that this condition is not a new thing. Even during the Biden administration, nuclear cooperation with Saudi Arabia was linked to diplomatic normalization with Israel, but after October 7, 2023, the situation changed and Israel’s retaliatory actions made normalization practically impossible for Saudi Arabia. For this reason, the Biden era team had started talks on soft terms. Now Trump has put the same old, tough conditions on the table again.
Riyadh’s silence and its reason
There has been no response to this post from the Saudi Embassy yet, and this silence is not without reason. Saudi Arabia’s stance has remained the same for years. He will sign the Abraham Accords only when a concrete outline of statehood for Palestine is decided. In such a situation, Trump’s condition seems to be in direct conflict with the demand on which Riyadh has been adamant till now.
Excitement in Netanyahu camp
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office openly welcomed this announcement. The statement said Saudi Arabia’s joining the Abraham Accords would be a historic leap forward for peace in the Middle East. However, it is worth noting that there was no mention of strengthening the nuclear deal in the Israeli statement, but only the diplomatic aspect was discussed.
Controversy over uranium enrichment
Trump claims that in this deal Saudi Arabia will not be allowed to enrich uranium and this facility will be limited to civilian use only, just as Iran and UAE already have. But according to sources, the picture is not so simple. The agreement actually reached includes limits on inspections, and does not oblige Saudi Arabia to enter into any strict additional protocols under the ‘gold standard’ nuclear deal the UAE signed in 2009.
This is the reason why nuclear experts are cautious about this deal. They are concerned that without adequate monitoring mechanisms the agreement could open the door to further weapons-grade enrichment.
What next?
This deal is yet to pass the review of the US Congress, which means it will take time to get the final approval. Till then, the real question will remain whether Saudi Arabia will accept Trump’s demand by giving up its decades-old Palestine condition, or will this nuclear partnership built over years of hard work fall to the victim of just one social media post.
Also read: Trump’s anger after the attack on Saudi ships; threatened