President Donald Trump has thrown his own nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia into doubt by demanding the kingdom recognise Israel as a condition for it to go ahead — a move that comes as Houthi attacks on Saudi tankers threaten to ignite a wider war with Iran.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the civil nuclear agreement, which he stressed would not allow Saudi enrichment of uranium, was “totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords.” The accords, brokered during his first term, normalised relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
“Trump says Saudi must recognise Israel for nuclear deal as Houthi attacks escalate Iran tensions.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed on Thursday that Trump had raised the condition with Saudi leaders on numerous previous occasions. “He has said if they don’t join the Abraham Accords, the deal is off,” she said. “So we’ll continue to have those conversations with our Saudi counterparts moving forward.”
Saudi Arabia has not responded to Trump’s remarks. It was not immediately clear whether the recognition condition was written into the text of the nuclear deal, which has not been released, or whether Riyadh had agreed to it.
The agreement announced on Wednesday, described by the US Department of Energy as a “peaceful nuclear co-operation agreement” and a “bilateral safeguards agreement”, had already drawn criticism from experts and some lawmakers who warned it could fuel nuclear proliferation in an already unstable region. Republican and Democratic opponents, however, appear to lack the votes to block it in Congress, where Trump’s party controls both chambers.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said it was aware of the plans and would work with the US and Saudi Arabia on verification measures.
Critics of the pact had previously argued that allowing the kingdom to develop a civilian nuclear programme stripped away a key incentive for normalising relations with Israel. Trump’s overnight demand, as Channel 4 News put it, has now left his own deal “in ruins” — even as the threat of major military confrontation looms. Hours earlier, Trump had threatened “major military punishment” against Iran and its Houthi allies after the Yemeni group fired on Saudi tankers in the Red Sea, sending oil prices soaring.
The question now is whether Riyadh will bend on recognition of Israel to secure nuclear cooperation, or walk away — taking the Middle East deeper into crisis.
