Trump upends US-Saudi nuclear deal with Abraham Accords condition, rules out enrichment

US President Donald Trump has said that the civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia will be approved only if the kingdom joins the Abraham Accords, appearing to add a fresh condition a day after Washington and Riyadh signed the long-awaited pact.

In a post on his Truth Social platform on Thursday, Trump said the agreement "will be approved" but is "totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords."

"The Civil Nuclear Deal (There will be no enrichment of material!) being made between the United States Department of Energy and Saudi Arabia... will be approved, but is totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords," Trump wrote.

He also stressed that the United States supports only civilian nuclear facilities without uranium enrichment.

Wright described the agreement as one that upholds "the highest standards of nuclear safety and nonproliferation", while Saudi Arabia said it would facilitate the exchange of expertise, knowledge and technology for peaceful nuclear energy.

Initial reports had suggested the agreement, along with a bilateral safeguards arrangement, could eventually permit uranium enrichment on Saudi soil for civilian reactors under strict conditions.

According to US officials cited by American media, any enrichment activity would first require a joint US-Saudi assessment of its commercial viability and any enrichment facility would be built by the United States without transferring sensitive enrichment technology to Saudi Arabia.

Reports also said the agreement bars Saudi Arabia from developing or acquiring its own uranium enrichment technology from other countries for 10 years.

Trump's latest comments appeared to rule out any enrichment, while also linking the deal to Saudi Arabia's recognition of Israel through the Abraham Accords, which established diplomatic ties between Israel and several Arab states during his first term.

According to CNN, Trump's intervention followed criticism from nuclear non-proliferation experts and conservative media over the agreement's reported terms and the absence of any requirement for Saudi Arabia to normalise ties with Israel.

The report said Trump's post surprised even some administration officials and Saudi authorities. White House officials, however, insisted that tying the nuclear deal to the Abraham Accords had always been the administration's objective.

White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said the civilian nuclear agreement "is contingent on Saudi Arabia joining the successful Abraham Accords, which will help bring true peace to the Middle East."

The US Department of Energy denied reports of any lack of coordination with the White House, saying negotiations and the announcement had been closely coordinated.