Saudis must recognise Israel for nuclear deal, says Trump

"The Civil Nuclear Deal (There will be no enrichment of material!)... which pertains only to non-military use... will be approved, but is totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

"This agreement will set off a nuclear race in the region, further disincentivizing Iran from limiting its own program," Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut said in a social media post.

What we know

The nuclear issue has been at the centre of the months-long US-Israeli conflict with Iran. In 2020, Trump brokered the Abraham Accords, which secured the historic normalisation of relations between Israel and two Arab nations, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain.

Trump said the nuclear agreement is subject to Riyadh establishing diplomatic relations with Israel through the Abraham Accords. The deal "is totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords," he said.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman signed an agreement Wednesday on civilian nuclear cooperation.

Reactions

"There will be no enrichment of material!" the president said in a Truth Social post. The Department of Energy said the deal would lay the foundation for a decades-long, multibillion nuclear partnership between the two countries. The agreement will be sent to Congress for review, the department said.

What to watch

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. President Trump announces Saudi Arabia will have to join the ABRAHAM ACCORDS as part of the civil nuclear deal with America Huge news for peace!