Trump: Saudis must recognize Israel for nuclear deal

US President Donald Trump has stated that Saudi Arabia must recognize Israel as a prerequisite for a nuclear deal between the two countries. The demand comes in connection with a new "peaceful nuclear cooperation agreement" which the US Energy Department describes as providing "great access for American companies in the Saudi nuclear energy programme".

In 2020, Trump brokered the Abraham Accords, which secured the historic normalization of relations between Israel and two Arab nations: the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain. Sudan, Morocco and Kazakhstan have since also signed the accords. Saudi Arabia has not so far responded to Trump's remarks.

The nuclear issue has been at the centre of the months-long US-Israeli conflict with Iran. Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, told CBS News in 2018 that his own nation was not planning to acquire a nuclear weapon, but that "without a doubt if Iran developed a nuclear bomb, we will follow suit as soon as possible".

Earlier US media reports suggested the deal could allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium in the future - which can be used as fuel for power plants, but also potentially to make nuclear bombs. However, Trump's remarks appear to deny this.

The agreement will now be sent to the US Congress for review. Some lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle are expected to oppose the deal, though Trump's Republican Party controls both the upper and lower chambers and opponents of the deal do not appear to have the votes needed to block it.