Saudi nuclear deal hinges on Abraham Accords: Trump

Washington: US President Donald Trump said Saudi Arabia will have to join the Abraham Accords before the United States moves ahead with a civilian nuclear agreement with the kingdom, publicly linking the long-discussed deal to Riyadh’s formal normalisation of relations with Israel.

Speaking after announcing a milestone in the administration’s civilian nuclear programme, Trump said the proposed agreement with Saudi Arabia would move forward only if the kingdom became part of the regional normalisation framework brokered during his first term.

“No, nobody got out ahead. I mean, I just say that in order to do it, they have to be a member of the Abraham Accords,” Trump said when asked about reports that negotiations on a Saudi nuclear deal had been completed before he imposed fresh conditions.

He described the Abraham Accords as “very successful” and said Saudi Arabia’s concerns over Iran had changed significantly.

“They and others didn’t want to do it because of the problem that they had with Iran. You don’t have that problem anymore,” Trump said.

Calling Iran “the bully of the Middle East,” Trump claimed the country had been severely weakened.

“You don’t have a great power there anymore,” he said. “They were the bully of the Middle East. They were not going to be that much of a bully anymore.”

Trump said the United States wanted Saudi Arabia to join the accords because it was “very important for the future of the Middle East.”

“So, you know, at some point they’ll join, they’ll join and they’ll do their civil — I call it civil nuclear but that’s what it is — no enrichment, it’s civil nuclear,” he said.

Later, responding to another question on the same issue, Trump said there had been no misunderstanding between his administration and Saudi officials over the conditions attached to the agreement.

“Saudi Arabia knew that if they didn’t join the Abraham Accords, the deal’s not — I’m not going to do the deal,” he said.

Trump added that joining the accords remained a prerequisite even as any agreement would remain subject to Congressional approval.

The President’s remarks came during an event celebrating what the administration described as a major milestone in reviving America’s civilian nuclear industry.

Trump said four privately funded advanced reactor projects had reached critical milestones after executive orders signed last year aimed at accelerating reactor approvals and deployment.

He said the United States was once again leading the world in next-generation nuclear technology after decades of stagnation.

“We’re leading the world in pioneering the next generation of nuclear power and there’s nobody even close,” Trump said.

During an extended question-and-answer session, Trump also addressed Iran, saying his administration continued to pursue negotiations while remaining prepared to escalate military action if necessary.

“We’re locked and loaded and ready to go, but we’re talking to them,” he said.

He repeated that Iran “cannot have a nuclear weapon” and said negotiations were continuing involving Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other senior officials.

Asked whether Russia and China were assisting Iran, Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin had indicated they would not become directly involved.

“I trust them,” Trump said, adding that any assistance from the two countries had “not been major.”

IANS