President Donald Trump has stated that the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel is a condition for pursuing a civilian nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia. While he has ruled out allowing uranium enrichment, reports suggest that the possibility of future enrichment remains a contentious issue.
On July 23, local time, Trump announced via social media platform Truth Social that the U.S.-Saudi nuclear agreement is contingent upon Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords.
White House spokesperson Caroline Levitt also stated, "If Saudi Arabia does not join the Abraham Accords, the nuclear agreement will be nullified."
The Abraham Accords are a series of agreements brokered by Trump during his first term, which established diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab nations, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, and Morocco.
However, Saudi Arabia maintains that it will not normalize relations with Israel without tangible progress toward establishing a Palestinian state. Currently, the Israeli government opposes the creation of a Palestinian state, making it uncertain whether the conditions set by Trump will be met.
The controversy surrounding uranium enrichment continues. Trump emphasized that the agreement is intended for civilian nuclear power, asserting, "There will be no uranium enrichment."
Nevertheless, reports indicate that the agreement does not permanently prohibit Saudi Arabia from uranium enrichment or the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel. There is a possibility that after two years of economic assessments, the U.S. may allow Saudi Arabia to produce nuclear fuel.
Uranium enrichment is the process of creating nuclear fuel for reactors, while spent fuel reprocessing involves separating usable materials from fuel that has been used in reactors. Both technologies can be utilized for civilian nuclear power but could also be used to develop nuclear weapons if high-enriched uranium or plutonium is produced.
It is also reported that the agreement does not include the so-called "Gold Standard" accepted by the UAE when it signed a nuclear agreement with the U.S. in 2009. The Gold Standard requires that the partner country commits not to enrich uranium or reprocess spent nuclear fuel.
Additionally, the agreement reportedly does not include obligations to join an additional protocol that would enhance the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) inspection authority. Joining this protocol would allow the IAEA to conduct broader inspections of sites suspected of nuclear development, including undeclared facilities.
Earlier, on July 22, U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and Saudi Minister of Energy Abdulaziz bin Salman signed a separate safety measures agreement alongside the "123 Agreement" for peaceful nuclear cooperation.
The 123 Agreement is necessary for U.S. companies to export nuclear technology, equipment, and materials to other countries. The U.S. Department of Energy stated that the agreement meets high standards for nuclear safety and non-proliferation, but specific details of the agreement have not been disclosed.
For the agreement to take effect, it must undergo review by the U.S. Congress.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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