President Donald Trump has submitted the proposed civil nuclear technology cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia to the US Congress for final review. However, he has attached a major condition for the agreement to formally take effect: Trump has made it clear that the deal will not move forward unless Saudi Arabia normalizes relations with Israel.
A senior US administration official confirmed this information to the news agency Reuters on Tuesday on the condition of anonymity.
The report states that the 30-year agreement was finalized last July. Under this deal, US technology firms would gain opportunities to export technology and develop civil nuclear infrastructure in Saudi Arabia. Westinghouse—a company jointly owned by Canada-based Cameco and Brookfield Asset Management—stands to benefit from this multi-billion dollar project involving the construction of US AP1000 nuclear reactors.
Citing congressional sources, reports indicate that the agreement was sent to US lawmakers on Monday and is scheduled to go before the relevant committee on Wednesday.
Under the law, Congress has 90 legislative days to review the agreement. If Congress does not pass any objections or resolutions within this period, the agreement will automatically take effect. However, if Congress rejects it, Trump could exercise his veto power; overriding that veto would require a two-thirds majority in Congress.
The US administration official reiterated Trump’s clear stance: the agreement will only be implemented if Saudi Arabia formally recognizes Israel by joining the US-brokered “Abraham Accords.” During his first term, Trump spearheaded historic initiatives to normalize relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan.
It is worth noting that attempts to secure this agreement with Saudi Arabia were also made during the tenure of former President Joe Biden, and the condition regarding the normalization of relations with Israel was included then as well. Although a strong possibility of establishing diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel emerged in 2023, the situation shifted dramatically following the onset of Israeli attacks on Gaza in October of that year. Riyadh currently remains firm in its stance, clearly stating that it will not grant diplomatic recognition to Israel until an “irreversible and clear path” toward the establishment of an independent Palestinian state is guaranteed.
Storm of Controversy in the US over the Deal
Meanwhile, the proposed agreement has sparked intense criticism within the United States. Democratic lawmakers and analysts specializing in nuclear non-proliferation have expressed deep concern regarding the deal.
They point out that the 2009 US nuclear agreement with the United Arab Emirates—often regarded as the “Gold Standard”—included a complete ban on uranium enrichment and the reprocessing of nuclear waste. In contrast, the new proposed agreement with Saudi Arabia lacks such strict, legally binding prohibitions on uranium enrichment, potentially paving the way for future nuclear weapons development.
The Trump administration maintains that the agreement incorporates all necessary safeguards and non-proliferation conditions required by law. However, Henry Sokolski, head of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center, believes that by submitting the deal to Congress, Trump has set a dangerous precedent. This creates a legal risk that the agreement could be passed by Congress without critical conditions—such as recognizing Israel or halting uranium enrichment—being met.
