How Trump upended the Saudi nuclear deal less than 24 hours after its signing
How Trump upended the Saudi nuclear deal in record time
Healfromzero.com – On Wednesday afternoon, officials gathered at the downtown Washington headquarters of the Energy Department for an event more than two decades in the making: the signing of a civilian nuclear agreement between the United States and Saudi Arabia. Two sets of American and Saudi flags were placed on stage and on the table where Energy Secretary Chris Wright was seated. A large screen beamed in his Saudi counterpart from Riyadh.
After months of delay, the arrangement was finally signed. The Saudis had won much of their wish list for the deal. But as quickly as it was announced, it seemed to fall apart.
Trump adds unexpected conditions
Thursday morning, Trump said in a social media post that the deal was subject to a new condition: Saudi Arabia would have to join the Abraham Accords, an initiative dating back to Trump’s first administration that led to several Arab countries normalizing their diplomatic stance toward Israel. Trump also denied that the agreement would allow uranium enrichment. The president, according to a source familiar with the matter, was already angry over the unveiling of the deal, which Wright had not told Trump he would be announcing.
Trump’s frustration was then exacerbated, sources told CNN, after a flurry of criticism from experts and conservative media outlets. This included skeptical coverage on his preferred channel, Fox News, and on the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal that questioned why the deal was made absent a normalization agreement — something both outlets pointedly noted President Joe Biden had been seeking. The new condition, which the White House insisted was long a goal of Trump’s and shouldn’t have shocked anyone, surprised the administration’s own nuclear negotiators, for whom the Abraham Accords condition was unexpected, two sources briefed on the matter told CNN.
“President Trump’s energy team is fully aligned, and always has been: the civil nuclear deal being brokered between the United States and Saudi Arabia is contingent on Saudi Arabia joining the successful Abraham Accords, which will help bring true peace to the Middle East,” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said in a statement Thursday evening.
As confusion took over, White House officials pointed the finger at their colleagues at the Energy Department, according to one source, who said the White House had asked the Energy Department not to roll the agreement out on Wednesday. But Wright, who White House officials have complained in the past got over his skis, went ahead anyway, including in an interview on Fox Business. The deal, in the mind of some Trump aides, was not finalized since letters required to be sent to Congress hadn’t gone out.
And the president and many of his senior staffers were livid at the decision to roll out the deal, the source said. Trump told reporters Friday that he and his energy secretary — who was standing behind him in the Oval Office — hadn’t discussed it when asked if he’d authorized Wright to sign agreement. “We didn’t talk about it, but it was always understood — and Chris knew and Saudi Arabia knew — that if they didn’t join the Abraham Accords… I’m not going to do the deal,” Trump said.
The Department of Energy has closely coordinated the negotiations and then announcement of these agreements with the White House and the State Department. Any suggestion otherwise is false,” press secretary Ben Dietderich said in a statement Thursday evening, adding that the deal and the Abraham Accords “achieve a common goal — delivering lasting peace through commerce, not conflict.” The White House’s ire grew when the Thursday press briefing was dominated by questions over the deal. Karoline Leavitt noted that Trump was the “final dealmaker” when asked why the new condition had not been part of Wednesday’s announcement.
Trump’s Truth Social post Thursday morning also blindsided the Saudis, for whom the nuclear deal — which did not include the normalization requirement — had been a major triumph. The accord would permit uranium enrichment on Saudi soil once certain conditions were met while limiting a UN watchdog agency’s ability to inspect suspected covert nuclear sites. CNN has reached out to the Saudi embassy.
The move was a last-minute twist in a years-long diplomatic effort. Nearly two decades after the US and Saudi Arabia first announced their intent to cooperate on nuclear energy, the two countries reached a tentative agreement in October of last year, when Wright and his Saudi counterpart made a joint statement. The Trump administration submitted a waiver report to Congress soon afterward due to the deal not requiring the Saudis to sign a standard agreement called the Additional Protocol with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
What this means for Saudi nuclear ambitions
But after the initial waiver request to Congress, the deal faced renewed scrutiny. Critics questioned whether the United States was giving too much without getting enough in return. The sudden reversal by Trump has left diplomats scrambling to clarify whether the Abraham Accords condition is truly a new requirement or simply a reaffirmation of existing expectations.
For Saudi Arabia, the situation is particularly delicate. The kingdom has invested heavily in positioning itself as a regional leader and has sought to diversify its economy beyond oil. A nuclear deal would signal technological advancement and international confidence in Riyadh’s intentions.
FAQ: Understanding the Saudi nuclear deal
Q: What is the Abraham Accords condition? A: The Abraham Accords are a series of normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab nations, originally brokered during Trump’s first term. Saudi Arabia would need to join this framework as part of the nuclear deal.
Q: Will Saudi Arabia be allowed to enrich uranium? A: Yes, under the original deal terms, Saudi Arabia would be permitted to enrich uranium on its soil once certain conditions were met.
Q: Why was the deal announced without Trump’s prior knowledge? A: According to sources, Energy Secretary Chris Wright proceeded with the announcement despite White House requests to wait, believing the deal was sufficiently prepared.
Q: What happens next? A: Both sides are working to clarify whether the Abraham Accords requirement is a new condition or a reaffirmation of existing expectations. The White House has stated that Trump remains the “final dealmaker.”