The White House spokesperson confirmed Thursday evening that the US-Saudi civilian nuclear agreement is contingent on Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords, according to N12 (Channel 12).
The White House spokesperson confirmed Thursday evening that the US-Saudi civilian nuclear cooperation agreement is conditional on Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords, according to N12 (Channel 12). The confirmation, which came at 18:36 Jerusalem time, follows President Trump's initial statement at 14:55 Thursday that the same condition applies, and that the deal would prohibit uranium enrichment on Saudi soil. The official White House endorsement now places the normalization condition as a formal US policy position, adding institutional weight to the president's earlier remarks.
The story unfolded Thursday afternoon, when Trump first stated the condition at 14:55, as reported by N12, and at the same time The Zioneer published an analysis assessing that the conditions effectively neutralize core Israeli security concerns. Later, at 16:18, Channel 14 reported Trump's statement and separately quoted journalist Tamir Morag saying that from Israel's perspective, a civilian power plant without enrichment does not pose a problem. The progression from a single presidential statement to multiple Israeli news outlets reporting the same condition, and now to an official White House confirmation, marks a steady escalation in corroboration.
As The Zioneer reported earlier Thursday, the US Energy Secretary detailed the economic rationale behind the multibillion-dollar nuclear partnership. The condition of normalization with Israel has been a central point in diplomatic discussions between Washington, Riyadh, and Jerusalem, and the White House confirmation aligns with the administration's broader push to expand the Abraham Accords, which The Zioneer has documented in recent months.
What remains unverified: The White House has not provided additional details on the timeline for implementing the condition or the specific terms of the nuclear deal beyond the enrichment ban and normalization requirement. The exact nature of Saudi Arabia's response to the condition also remains unclear, as Riyadh has not yet issued an official statement since the confirmation.
5 developments
- DevelopingIAEA says aware of US-Saudi civilian nuclear talks, expects formal safeguards request
- DevelopingCommentary: US-Saudi nuclear deal a 'gift' that risks 'oil economy confrontation'
- ConfirmedUS Energy Secretary details economic rationale behind Saudi nuclear deal
- DevelopingSaudi Arabia cooled on Abraham Accords due to nuclear project, channel claims
Source and signal
- Internal intake