Former President Donald Trump announced on Friday that Saudi Arabia must become a signatory to the Abraham Accords before the United States will advance a civilian nuclear energy agreement.
Trump emphasized that this condition was always understood during the negotiations for the nuclear pact. "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, which have been very successful. But it's time now that they do it," Trump stated during an event in the Oval Office.
When questioned about whether Energy Secretary Chris Wright had overstepped by announcing progress on the Saudi nuclear deal, Trump maintained that the requirement was clear. "Well. We didn't talk about it, but it was always understood. And Chris knew and Saudi Arabia knew that if they joined the Abraham Accords, the deal is not, I'm not going to do the deal," he said.
He further clarified that any agreement would still require congressional approval and would not move forward without Saudi Arabia's inclusion in the normalization agreement. "Because they understood that, subject to Congress and everything else, in order for that deal to go through, they had to sign into the Abraham Accords," Trump explained, adding that "We think the Abraham Accords bring peace in the Middle East."
Trump also asserted that the regional security landscape has shifted, significantly diminishing the threat from Iran. "There's no longer an Iran factor. There's no longer Iran to worry about because they've been reduced in terms of their capability and power by many fold," he said.
The former president reiterated that any deal would be strictly for civilian nuclear energy, with no provisions for enrichment. "They'll join and they'll do their civil. It's really, it's civil nuclear. But that's what it is. No enrichment. It's civil nuclear," Trump stated.
The remarks were made during an event celebrating advancements in civilian nuclear energy, which the administration described as a milestone. The event highlighted the progress of privately funded reactor companies in bringing new reactor designs online. Trump characterized the development as a "historic milestone for civilian nuclear energy" and a "renaissance of nuclear power in America."