Foreign Relations

Israeli Push Prompted U.S. Saudi Nuclear Normalization Condition

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Courtroom-sketch editorial illustration of President Donald Trump pointing while standing beside Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman outside the White House

An updated account says Israel mounted a concerted effort over the past 24 hours to ensure the U.S.-Saudi civil nuclear agreement was conditioned on Riyadh normalizing ties with Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raised the issue in a recent call with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who reportedly assured him the deal would proceed only alongside normalization. President Donald Trump then said approval was “totally subject” to Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords and ruled out uranium enrichment. The White House said it would keep negotiating with Riyadh, while Netanyahu’s office called Saudi entry into the accords a historic leap toward regional peace.

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