Shibbir Ahmed, Washington, D.C.: The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has formally submitted a civil nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia to Congress for review. However, the Trump administration remains firm that Saudi Arabia must normalize relations with Israel and join the Abraham Accords as part of the broader agreement.
Under the U.S. Atomic Energy Act, the agreement is now subject to congressional review. Congress has 90 days to review and potentially reject the agreement. If Congress does not pass a joint resolution of disapproval during that period, the agreement could take effect.
Last month, U.S. and Saudi energy officials signed the agreement in Washington. Under the deal, U.S. companies would be able to participate in the development of Saudi Arabia’s civilian nuclear program. The proposed agreement could remain in effect for 30 years.
However, the Trump administration’s condition regarding Israel has created new uncertainty over the future of the agreement. Saudi Arabia has long maintained that it would want to see credible progress toward the establishment of a Palestinian state before normalizing diplomatic relations with Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, has opposed the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The agreement has also raised concerns among some members of Congress and nuclear nonproliferation experts. In particular, there are concerns that allowing Saudi Arabia to pursue uranium enrichment in the future could increase the risk of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.
The key issue: The Trump administration wants to advance long-term civilian nuclear cooperation with Saudi Arabia while linking the agreement to its broader diplomatic goal of normalizing Saudi-Israeli relations. The agreement’s next steps will therefore depend on both Congressional review in Washington and Riyadh’s position on normalization with Israel.
