Trump States Saudi Arabia Must Join Abraham Accords for Nuclear Deal Approval

WASHINGTON, July 25. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that Saudi Arabia had always been aware that joining the Abraham Accords was a prerequisite for a nuclear energy cooperation deal with Washington. The comment followed Trump’s demand for Riyadh to normalize relations with Israel as part of the pact, a condition publicly backed by US Energy Secretary Chris Wright. "It was always understood, and Chris knew, and Saudi Arabia knew that if they didn't join the Abraham Accords, the deal is not. I'm not going to do the deal," Trump said. He was responding to a question about why he only announced the condition of joining the Abraham Accords to normalize relations with Israel after the nuclear agreement had already been finalized. CNN previously reported that Trump was angered by Wright's failure to brief him before announcing the nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia. Trump subsequently posted on TruthSocial that Saudi Arabia must join the Abraham Accords for the deal to be approved, adding that the agreement does not include uranium enrichment. According to CNN, Trump's social media statement caught both US administration negotiators and Riyadh by surprise. Riyadh also did not expect such a move, the channel reported. On July 22, the US Department of Energy announced that Washington and Riyadh had reached an agreement supporting the Kingdom's peaceful nuclear program. The agreement has been submitted to the US Congress for review. Designed to span several decades, the pact aims to "open broad opportunities for American companies to participate in the Saudi nuclear energy development program." According to the US Energy Secretary, the agreement meets the "highest standards" in nuclear safety and non-proliferation.