Trump sends Saudi nuclear deal to Congress, ties it to Israel normalisation

Washington,UPDATED: Aug 26, 2026 08:04 IST

US President Donald Trump has submitted to Congress for review an agreement with Saudi Arabia to strengthen the kingdom’s civilian nuclear programme, but he has continued to insist that it will not go ahead unless Riyadh normalises relations with Israel, according to a Trump administration official.

The classified document was sent to Capitol Hill on Monday under the Atomic Energy Act, according to the administration official, a congressional aide and two other people familiar with the matter. All four spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to comment publicly on the classified issue.

The agreement was signed in Washington last month by US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and his Saudi counterpart. However, a day later, Trump said Saudi Arabia would have to normalise relations with Israel through the Abraham Accords as part of the deal, casting doubt on whether the agreement would be completed.

Neither the administration official nor the others familiar with the matter said whether Trump’s demand that Saudi Arabia join the accords is included in the classified document sent to Congress for review.

Under the law, Congress has 90 days while in session to review the agreement. Unless lawmakers pass a joint resolution rejecting it during that period, it can take effect without a vote in either chamber.

It is unusual for the full contents of such agreements to be classified at such a high level. Earlier civil nuclear pacts with other countries, known as 123 agreements, have been made public, although some included classified annexes that were not released.

The Saudi embassy in Washington did not immediately comment on the matter.

Trump’s continued insistence that Saudi Arabia join the accords could complicate the path to final approval. The Abraham Accords, approved in 2020, increased the number of Arab and Muslim-majority countries with diplomatic ties to Israel.

Saudi Arabia was taken by surprise by Trump’s announcement that completion of the civil nuclear deal would depend on Riyadh agreeing to join the accords.

Trump has also faced strong criticism from some lawmakers, including those concerned that the deal could potentially help Saudi Arabia pursue its long-standing aim of enriching its own uranium and, in turn, trigger fresh nuclear proliferation and competition.

Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, has made clear that normalising relations with Israel would first require the establishment of a clear path to Palestinian statehood. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the idea of Palestinian statehood as untenable for Israel’s security.

If approved, the deal is expected to remain in force for 30 years and involve US firms in developing the programme following a joint US-Saudi study. The formal submission of the agreement to Congress was first reported on Tuesday by The Wall Street Journal, as the review process began with the deal’s future still tied to the question of Saudi-Israel normalisation.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends