Leavitt Deflects on Saudi Nuclear Deal Israel Condition
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- Karoline Leavitt declined to provide new details on the U.S.-Saudi civilian nuclear deal during a Thursday press briefing
- President Trump conditioned the civilian nuclear agreement on Saudi Arabia normalizing its relations with Israel
- Leavitt called Trump 'the final dealmaker,' noting he has mentioned the Israel-normalization condition on numerous occasions
- The U.S.-Saudi civilian nuclear deal remained without disclosed terms or timeline following the July 23, 2026 briefing
Why it matters: By tying the civilian nuclear deal to Saudi-Israel normalization, the White House is leveraging a major nuclear cooperation pact as a diplomatic tool — but Leavitt's refusal to elaborate leaves the actual terms and red lines undisclosed, forcing Riyadh and Jerusalem to engage on a deal whose specifics remain unclear.
