Trump Pushes Saudi Nuclear Deal Through Congress, Linking It to Israel Recognition

Congressional Review of the Saudi Nuclear Agreement

The Trump administration has officially transmitted to Congress a civil nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia, marking a pivotal moment in U.S.-Saudi relations and broader Middle East geopolitics. The agreement, finalized in July, would authorize American companies to export civil nuclear technology to the kingdom, but its implementation remains contingent on Riyadh's willingness to normalize relations with Israel.

Normalizsation as a Prerequisite

According to a senior U.S. administration official who spoke to Reuters, the President's position remains unwavering: the agreement will not proceed unless Saudi Arabia joins the Abraham Accords. These diplomatic agreements, brokered by the United States in 2020 and 2021, established normalized relations between Israel and several Arab nations, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan.

The official stated in an email: "The President's position has not changed: the agreement will only move forward if Saudi Arabia adheres to the Abraham Accords."

Historical Context and Complications

This agreement traces its roots to Trump's first presidential term, when he initially worked on a similar pact. Former President Joe Biden also advocated for a nuclear deal while attempting to link it to peace negotiations. Diplomatic observers believed Riyadh was close to normalizing ties with Israel in 2023, but the outbreak of Israel's war against Gaza in October of that year fundamentally altered the diplomatic landscape.

Saudi Arabia has consistently demanded an irreversible path toward a Palestinian state before formally recognizing Israel.

Economic Scale and Beneficiary Companies

The proposed 30-year agreement encompasses the construction of AP1000 reactors, representing a project valued at several tens of billions of dollars. This ambitious initiative would primarily benefit Westinghouse, the nuclear technology company jointly owned by Canadian firms Cameco (CCO.TO) and Brookfield Asset Management (BAM.N).

Congressional Timeline and Potential Obstacles

The agreement was transmitted to Congressional leadership on Monday and is expected to undergo committee review on Wednesday. Under current procedures, Congress has 90 days of session to review the agreement before it can take effect. If Congress rejects the deal, President Trump could issue a veto, which would then require a two-thirds majority in both chambers to override.

Non-Proliferation Concerns

The agreement has drawn sharp criticism from Democratic lawmakers and non-proliferation advocates. Their primary concern centers on the absence of "gold standard" provisions that would prohibit Saudi Arabia from enriching uranium or reprocessing nuclear waste—two pathways potentially leading to nuclear weapons development.

Notably, the United Arab Emirates accepted these non-proliferation safeguards when negotiating its own civil nuclear cooperation agreement with Washington in 2009.

Henry Sokolski, Director of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center, warned: "By launching this process, Trump has opened the possibility that Congress approves the agreement without normalization and non-proliferation clauses. This is far from ideal if one is serious about non-recognition of Israel and non-proliferation."

The Trump administration maintains that the agreement contains all non-proliferation measures required by existing law.