Trump upends Saudi nuclear deal less than 24 hours after signing, sparking controversy

The Trump administration's nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia, signed on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, quickly faced an abrupt change less than 24 hours after its finalization. The deal, which involved the US aiding Saudi Arabia in developing a civilian nuclear program, was signed by US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman. However, on Thursday, July 23, 2026, President Donald Trump declared that the agreement was "totally subject" to Saudi Arabia normalizing relations with Israel by joining the Abraham Accords. This new condition, communicated via social media, had not been part of the initial announcement of the deal.

The initial agreement drew significant criticism due to its reported omission of key non-proliferation safeguards, such as the "Gold Standard" which prohibits uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing, and the International Atomic Energy Agency's "Additional Protocol" for enhanced inspections. Critics expressed alarm that these omissions could provide Saudi Arabia with a pathway to developing nuclear weapons, especially given previous statements from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that the kingdom would pursue such weapons if Iran acquired them. This widespread opposition and concern are believed to have contributed to the President's rapid imposition of additional conditions.

The sudden policy shift has cast doubt on the future of the nuclear cooperation deal. While the agreement still needs to be reviewed by the US Congress, which has 90 legislative days to act, Saudi Arabia has previously maintained that it would not normalize ties with Israel without a credible roadmap towards Palestinian statehood, a position that could now complicate the deal's progression.