Trump Links Saudi Civil Nuclear Deal to Israel Normalisation Under Abraham Accords

Washington: US President Donald Trump has said the United States will move ahead with a civilian nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia only if the kingdom joins the Abraham Accords and formally normalises ties with Israel.

Speaking after announcing a major milestone in his administration's civilian nuclear programme, Trump said Saudi Arabia's participation in the regional normalisation framework remained a non-negotiable condition for the proposed deal.

"In order to do it, they have to be a member of the Abraham Accords," Trump said when asked about reports suggesting negotiations on the nuclear agreement had already been completed before the new condition was introduced.

Describing the Abraham Accords as "very successful," Trump argued that Saudi Arabia's earlier concerns about Iran had eased significantly.

"They and others didn't want to do it because of the problem that they had with Iran. You don't have that problem anymore," he said.

Calling Iran "the bully of the Middle East," Trump claimed the country had been considerably weakened and no longer held the same regional influence.

He stressed that Saudi Arabia's inclusion in the accords was crucial for regional stability and reiterated that any civilian nuclear cooperation would be strictly for peaceful purposes, without uranium enrichment.

"Saudi Arabia knew that if they didn't join the Abraham Accords, I'm not going to do the deal," Trump said later, adding that any agreement would also require approval from the US Congress.

Trump made the remarks during an event highlighting what his administration described as a major breakthrough in reviving the US civilian nuclear industry. He said four privately funded advanced reactor projects had reached critical milestones following executive orders issued last year to speed up reactor approvals and deployment.

Claiming the US had regained its leadership in next-generation nuclear technology, Trump said the country was now ahead of global competitors after years of stagnation.

During an extended interaction with reporters, Trump also addressed Iran, saying his administration remained engaged in diplomatic talks while keeping military options on the table.

"We're locked and loaded and ready to go, but we're talking to them," he said, once again insisting that Iran must never acquire a nuclear weapon.

Trump said negotiations with Tehran were continuing under the leadership of Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other senior officials.

Responding to questions about possible support for Iran from Russia and China, Trump said both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin had indicated they would not become directly involved. He added that any assistance provided by the two countries had "not been major."

With inputs from IANS