U.S. officers say the historic nuclear vitality deal between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, signed by each governments this week, presents the likelihood that uranium enrichment might ultimately occur on Saudi Arabian soil whereas omitting a requirement for expanded oversight.
Opening the door to enrichment in Saudi Arabia with out particular worldwide safeguards in place has raised concern from nuclear proliferation consultants.
And as President Donald Trump hunts for tactics to broaden on a landmark diplomatic breakthrough from his first administration, revelations in regards to the contents of the deal are additionally sparking hypothesis that Riyadh’s enrichment capabilities could in the end be determined by its willingness to determine a diplomatic relationship with Israel.
On Thursday, President Trump appeared to throw a wrench into the newly struck vitality deal — which sources say doesn’t explicitly point out Israel — by conditioning it on Riyadh becoming a member of the Abraham Accords, a collection of bilateral agreements between Israel and Arab states that have been initially signed throughout Trump’s first time period in workplace.
Trump wrote in a social media publish that the take care of Saudi Arabia “can be authorised, however is completely topic to Saudi Arabia becoming a member of the very revered and profitable Abraham Accords.”
The president additionally wrote within the publish that there could be “no enrichment of fabric.”
Each of the president’s claims, that the Abraham Accords and a Saudi promise to not enrich have been a part of the deal, should not components of the signed settlement, sources informed ABC Information.
Officers anticipate each issues could possibly be resolved down the road. They are saying the nuclear cooperation settlement stipulates that the way forward for Saudi enrichment can be determined solely after the U.S. carries out a two-year examine to discover the potential of its industrial viability in comparison with importing nuclear gas, and that the administration can nonetheless determine in opposition to transferring enrichment expertise whereas cooperating with Riyadh on constructing nuclear vitality vegetation.
Donald Trump welcomes Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia throughout an arrival ceremony on the White Home on November 18, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Win Mcnamee/Getty Photographs
“It is simply notable to me that we’re making contingent Saudi enrichment … on recognition of a relationship with Israel,” mentioned Richard Nephew, a former State Division and Nationwide Safety Council official. “Perhaps that works, however I do not know. It simply appears to me that we’re including extra complexity there, and I’m a minimum of a bit of bit suspicious that that can be tougher to tug off.”
Trump administration officers informed ABC Information they imagine the contours of the settlement might give it extra leverage over Riyadh.
The 2-year examine is about to wrap shortly earlier than Trump’s time period expires, which administration officers say might give them an enough runway to dealer a normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
“It is also [that] the problem of normalization is also shuttled into this supposed two-year … dialogue on the precise want for enrichment,” mentioned Simon Henderson, a senior fellow on the Washington Institute and professional in Gulf affairs.
White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt indicated on Thursday conversations with Saudi Arabia would proceed.
“The president is at all times the ultimate dealmaker,” she mentioned.
Saudi Arabia has not but publicly responded to Trump’s assertion in regards to the Abraham Accords, however U.S. officers mentioned they didn’t anticipate that it will derail the vitality pact.
Riyadh got here near normalizing relations with Israel beneath the Biden administration, however that progress was derailed after Hamas’ assaults on Oct. 7, 2023 and Israel’s subsequent marketing campaign in Gaza.
Since then, Saudi Arabia has persistently indicated that it will not signal onto the Abraham Accords until a transparent pathway to an unbiased Palestinian state is established, which Israel says could be an existential risk to its safety.
Whether or not the Trump administration can overcome the deadlock is unclear.
Why the deal is sparking proliferation considerations
The vitality take care of between Riyadh and Washington is the product of months of negotiations, and Saudi Arabia managed to return away with a number of favorable phrases that have been as soon as seen as non-starters by the U.S., sources mentioned.
Along with refusing to rule out uranium enrichment, officers say the Saudis additionally rejected what is named the “Further Protocol”– a authorized settlement that grants the Worldwide Atomic Vitality Company (IAEA) expanded inspection and monitoring authority.
The IAEA should approve the safeguards settlement struck between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia to make sure it’s in compliance with the Nonproliferation Treaty, to which each nations are events.
In response to a query from ABC Information, the IAEA mentioned it’s “conscious” of a “plan to ask the IAEA to implement verification measures in relation to this bilateral settlement.”
The Company’s Board of Governors will then take into account authorization for the safeguards settlement to be applied, it mentioned.
Riyadh’s resistance of nuclear inspections within the Further Protocol “is a crimson flag for future considerations and issues,” mentioned Kenneth Brill, the previous U.S. ambassador to the IAEA’s headquarters in Vienna.
“The U.S. ought to by no means have agreed to enrichment and not using a actually sturdy inspections regime with the IAEA,” he mentioned.
The prospect of a covert weaponization effort undertaken by Saudi Arabia, Henderson mentioned, “is probably the most obvious downside of the settlement.”
The dominion “appear[s] curiously averse to the Further Protocol … which reasonably suggests the Saudis have gotten one thing to cover,” he mentioned.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio informed reporters within the Philippines on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia wouldn’t have the ability to convert the civil program to a weaponization effort.
“Suffice it to say that any settlement that we will make with any nation on the earth on civil nuclear vitality goes to be one that may have safeguards in place to make sure that it could actually’t be changed into a weapons program,” Rubio mentioned.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends the ASEAN Submit Ministerial Convention with america through the ASEAN International Ministers’ Assembly, July 22, 2026 in Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines.
Eloisa Lopez/Pool by way of Getty Photographs
Members of Congress have mentioned that any nuclear take care of Saudi Arabia ought to meet a so-called “gold normal” by which Riyadh makes a dedication to forgo enrichment or reprocessing of fissile supplies. Republicans, together with Rubio when he was within the Senate, have made legislative efforts to connect strings to any such deal.
Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho, the chairman of the Senate International Relations Committee, mentioned in November that the gold normal “must be” included in any finalized deal.
In a press release to ABC Information Thursday, Risch mentioned he “look[s] ahead to seeing the small print of the settlement and dealing with the Administration to evaluate it.”
“I’ve talked to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about this on quite a few events and each of us have been in settlement that an acceptable nuclear settlement could be in the most effective curiosity of each of our nations,” he mentioned.
Olli Heinonen, a former deputy director-general for safeguards on the IAEA, mentioned different nations, together with South Korea, would seemingly observe Saudi Arabia in pursuing uranium enrichment and looking for “nuclear latencies.”
“The unique [Nonproliferation Treaty’s] nuclear disarmament takes a break,” Heinonen mentioned, referring to the worldwide pact barring the proliferation of nuclear weapons. “These are realities.”
