US President Donald Trump imposed a new condition on the planned civilian nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia. Trump said that for the agreement to be implemented, Saudi Arabia must join the Abraham Accords, which normalize ties with Israel.
The statement followed the signing of a memorandum of understanding by US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman on developing commercial nuclear reactors in the country. The agreement was expected to be submitted to the US Congress for approval.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said, "They need to join the Abraham Accords for this to happen." The president said he did not specifically discuss the matter with Secretary Wright before the signing, but that the condition was known and understood by both sides.
Saudi officials have not yet responded to requests for comment on this new condition attached to the nuclear deal. The Riyadh administration had previously shown reluctance to join the Abraham Accords, stating it would not recognize Israel without an irreversible path to Palestinian statehood.
Trump, however, remains confident that an agreement will eventually be reached. "At some point they will join... And they will do their civilian nuclear," he said.
The nuclear cooperation agreement set to be signed between the US and Saudi Arabia is seen as a positive development for Westinghouse. Westinghouse is jointly owned by Cameco and Brookfield Asset Management.