President Donald Trump has recently submitted a classified agreement to Congress regarding a partnership with Saudi Arabia aimed at enhancing the kingdom's civilian nuclear program. According to a Trump administration official, the agreement will not proceed unless Saudi Arabia makes strides towards normalizing relations with Israel. This requirement was emphasized following Trump's announcement shortly after the deal was signed.
The document was submitted to Capitol Hill on a Monday, adhering to the stipulations outlined in the Atomic Energy Act. Details regarding the submission came from an administration official, a congressional aide, and two additional sources, all of whom requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the subject. The agreement had been signed the previous month in Washington, D.C., by U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and his Saudi counterpart.
However, Trump promptly indicated that the Saudis' participation in the Abraham Accords—an agreement facilitating diplomatic ties between Israel and several Arab nations—will be essential for the implementation of the nuclear deal. This conditionality has introduced skepticism about whether the agreement will ultimately be realized. The administration sources could not clarify if Trump's requirement for Saudi Arabia to join the accords was explicitly mentioned in the classified document sent to Congress.
Under U.S. law, Congress has a window of 90 days to review the agreement while in session. If Congress does not pass a joint resolution to reject the agreement during this period, it will automatically take effect without requiring a vote from either chamber.
Historically, comprehensive details regarding similar civil nuclear agreements, known as 123 agreements, have been made publicly available, although some may have included classified sections that were not disclosed. The high level of classification for the entire Saudi nuclear agreement is relatively uncommon.
The Saudi embassy in Washington has not yet provided commentary on this matter. Nonetheless, Trump's insistence that Saudi Arabia align with the accords complicates the situation regarding the agreement's approval. The Abraham Accords, established in 2020, have successfully fostered diplomatic relationships between Israel and additional Arab and Muslim-majority countries.
The official position of the Saudis indicates a demand for a clear pathway to Palestinian statehood as a precondition for normalizing relations with Israel. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly dismissed the feasibility of such statehood, citing concerns for his country's security.
If approved, the deal is projected to last for 30 years and may involve collaboration with U.S. firms for the development of Saudi Arabia's civilian nuclear program, following the completion of a joint study between the two nations. The Wall Street Journal was the first to report the formal submission of the agreement to Congress on the same day.
