How Trump upended the Saudi nuclear deal less than 24 hours after its signing
A civilian nuclear agreement between the United States and Saudi Arabia faced an abrupt stall less than 24 hours after it was signed at the Energy Department on Wednesday. Energy Secretary Chris Wright led the formal announcement, but the rollout proceeded without the explicit support of the White House. While the deal appeared to satisfy Saudi requirements for domestic uranium enrichment and limited international inspection, the situation shifted Thursday morning.
President Trump signaled a major change in direction on social media, asserting that any nuclear cooperation is now contingent on Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords. This diplomatic condition requires normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel, a step the Kingdom has resisted without a clear pathway to Palestinian statehood. The new requirement caught administration negotiators and Saudi officials off guard, as the signed document contained no such mandate.
Internal friction appears to be the driving force behind the sudden reversal. Reports indicate the White House had requested that the Energy Department postpone the signing ceremony. When the event moved forward, the public backlash from conservative media outlets and political commentators heightened tensions within the administration. Fox News and the Wall Street Journal published critical coverage questioning why the deal lacked the normalization safeguards previously sought by the Biden administration.
This shift in strategy highlights the tension between the Department of Energy and the White House. Administration officials continue to offer conflicting statements regarding the coordination of the deal. White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers confirmed the new contingency on the Abraham Accords, while the Department of Energy maintained that the negotiations were handled in close cooperation with the White House and the State Department. As of now, the status of the agreement remains frozen while the administration reaffirms its long-standing goals in the Middle East.