President Donald Trump has transmitted the US-Saudi civilian nuclear cooperation agreement to Congress for review, a US official told Reuters early Wednesday. The official said Trump maintains the deal will proceed only if Saudi Arabia joins the Abraham Accords and recognizes Israel. The submission confirms an earlier report by The Zioneer.
A US official confirmed to Reuters early Wednesday that the Trump administration formally transmitted the US-Saudi civilian nuclear cooperation agreement to Congress. The official stated that President Trump insists the deal will only proceed if Saudi Arabia joins the Abraham Accords and recognizes Israel. The submission was first reported by The Zioneer at 01:13 Jerusalem this morning.
The Zioneer's initial report detailed Trump's condition. Earlier, on Friday, July 24 at 23:40 Jerusalem, Trump warned that no deal would be signed without Saudi normalization, and later clarified at 23:02 that he had not explicitly discussed the signing with his Energy Secretary. The Zioneer reported on July 22 at 06:38 that the agreement includes a framework for potential uranium enrichment on Saudi soil by US companies, contingent on a joint study. The Energy Department confirmed the signing on July 22 at 08:10, and the International Atomic Energy Agency said on July 23 at 19:37 it expects to receive a formal safeguards request.
As The Zioneer reported, the multibillion-dollar partnership marks a strategic shift, granting US companies an exclusive role in developing Saudi Arabia's nuclear infrastructure. The IAEA's statement signals international oversight. The pact now enters a mandatory congressional review period; blocking it would require a two-thirds majority to override a presidential veto, as The Zioneer noted on July 22.
The enrichment provision remains contingent on a joint US-Saudi study. Trump's condition linking the deal to Saudi recognition of Israel has been reiterated, but Riyadh's stance has not been publicly addressed in these reports.
4 developments
- DevelopingOvernight: Trump submits US-Saudi civilian nuclear agreement to Congress
- DevelopingUS-Saudi nuclear deal makes no mention of normalization with Israel, Reuters reports
- StrongTrump: Saudi Arabia must join Abraham Accords for civilian nuclear deal
- DevelopingTrump says Saudi Arabia will normalize ties with Israel 'at some point'
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