Donald Trump has signed a nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia that overturns years of US policy, handing Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman a major victory without demanding concessions for Israel in return. The pact, announced on Thursday, has drawn sharp criticism in Washington and Jerusalem amid warnings it could trigger a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.
Past US presidents insisted that Saudi Arabia normalise relations with Israel as a prerequisite for receiving American nuclear technology for civilian energy. Trump instead gave Riyadh what it wanted, over objections from critics who argue the deal undermines stability in a volatile region where the US is already at war with Iran.
“Trump's nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia reverses decades of US policy, alarming critics who warn of an arms race.”
In a social media post, Trump said the pact was conditioned on Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords, the series of deals reached during his first term that normalised relations between Israel and several Gulf states. But it remained unclear whether that condition was stipulated in the text of the deal, which has not been released, or whether Saudi Arabia had agreed to it or could be forced to join the accords.
The agreement appears to be the latest example of Trump jettisoning the traditional American approach to the Middle East, which centred on Israel and finding a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In his second term, Trump has focused primarily on strengthening US economic influence to compete with China and other rivals.
"Countries in the Middle East want to develop their nuclear infrastructure and they're going to do it even if the US is not involved. Washington at this point is recognising that," said Yusuf Can, a Middle East expert at the consulting firm Amena Strategies. With this nuclear deal, he added, "the US is basically saying you don't have to work with China. You can work with us."
The pact marks a significant shift towards transactional foreign policy, a hallmark of Trump's second term. The US has ratcheted up economic competition with adversaries like China and Russia in the Arctic and other parts of the world since Trump returned to office vowing to revive his "America First" approach.
But signing a nuclear pact in the Middle East is an especially bold move that will raise tensions in a region where the US is at war with Iran. It also represents a personal triumph for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has sought a nuclear agreement with the US for years as part of a broader campaign to strengthen relations with the West. In 2018, MBS said that if Iran develops nuclear weapons, Saudi Arabia should be allowed to as well.
US senators have reacted to the news, though the specifics of their response remain unclear. The deal has already sparked alarm among critics who say it risks accelerating a regional arms race.
With the text of the agreement yet to be published and Saudi Arabia's commitment to the Abraham Accords uncertain, the full implications of Trump's gamble are far from settled.