Trump: Saudis Must Do One Thing Before Nukes Pact

President Trump is tying a key Middle East nuclear deal to a diplomatic breakthrough that has long eluded Washington. The president said on Thursday that a new US-Saudi nuclear cooperation agreement will only move forward if Riyadh formally normalizes relations with Israel, folding it into the Abraham Accords he launched in his first term, reports NBC News. That condition hadn't appeared in the Energy Department's announcement of the deal a day earlier, and the agreement's text hasn't been made public.

Posting on Truth Social, Trump also said the pact allows "no enrichment of material" and is limited to civilian nuclear activity, though people familiar with the talks previously told NBC the deal wasn't expected to mandate the toughest inspections or outright ban enrichment. The AP notes that Trump has been seeking to build upon the 2020 accords.

The deal, signed Wednesday by Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, still needs congressional approval and has stirred concern about nuclear proliferation in the region, per NBC. US officials have long linked any Saudi right to enrich uranium to normalization with Israel, while Saudi leaders have said recognizing Israel hinges on tangible progress toward a Palestinian state.