Trump Ties Saudi Nuclear Deal to Israel Normalization
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- Trump submitted the U.S.-Saudi civil nuclear agreement to Congress this week, attaching a condition that Saudi Arabia normalize relations with Israel before the deal takes effect — a requirement former U.S. Ambassador Michael Ratney said was inserted "at the last minute."
- Four congressional Democrats flagged the contradiction with Iran policy: Trump launched war on Iran to prevent uranium enrichment, yet is prepared to grant Saudi Arabia the means to do the same, writing it "makes American policy impossible to take seriously."
- The deal omits the IAEA Additional Protocol that underpinned the 2009 UAE "gold standard" agreement, and critics warn the planned "black box" enrichment safeguards are insufficient — Trump's stated assurance that "there would be no enrichment" is not made permanent anywhere in the text.
- Saudi Arabia has already solicited bids from Russian, Chinese, French, and South Korean companies for its first two nuclear reactors and has pledged to develop a nuclear weapon if Tehran does, underscoring its nuclear plans are not dependent on U.S. participation.
- The 90-day congressional review period has now begun; unless both chambers pass a joint resolution of rejection, the agreement can take effect without an affirmative vote, and bipartisan opponents are unlikely to muster a veto-proof majority.
- Trump's decision to layer in the normalization condition followed vocal Israeli opposition, including former defense minister Avigdor Lieberman warning of a regional nuclear arms race and a call to lobby Congress to stop the deal.
Why it matters: Saudi Arabia has already solicited bids from Russian, Chinese, French, and South Korean firms and pledged to build a weapon if Iran does, signaling it will pursue nuclear capability with or without Washington. The source says the normalization condition could stall the agreement indefinitely — meaning Trump submitted a deal whose survival depends on a diplomatic breakthrough neither Riyadh nor Tel Aviv currently appears willing to make.
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