US President Donald Trump has submitted a proposed civilian nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia to Congress, but the deal will only move forward if Riyadh agrees to normalise relations with Israel, according to a US administration official.
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The agreement, reached in July, would allow US companies to provide civilian nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia under a proposed 30-year partnership. Congress now has 90 session days to review the deal.
Trump has insisted that Saudi Arabia must join the Abraham Accords, the US-backed framework for normalising relations with Israel. Riyadh, however, has maintained that recognition of Israel would require an irreversible path toward Palestinian statehood.
The condition could complicate efforts to finalise the agreement, particularly as Saudi Arabia has not yet indicated that it is ready to establish formal diplomatic relations with Israel.
The deal could deepen US-Saudi economic and strategic ties, but Trump's demand for Israeli recognition has placed a major political hurdle in its path.