President Donald Trump has placed a new condition on a nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia a day after formally approving it, saying the country now must join the Abraham Accords.
Trump wrote in a post on social media Thursday that the signed deal “will be approved,” but added, that it “is totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords.”
On Wednesday, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and his Saudi counterpart signed the agreement, which provides Saudi Arabia with a civilian nuclear program.
It has already sparked criticism from Israeli officials and is expected to draw scrutiny on Capitol Hill.
CNN has reported that the deal could lead to the country enriching its own fuel for civilian reactors. The agreement includes limits on what inspections might be carried out on the Saudi program, according to US officials and sources.
The kingdom is notably not required to sign a standard agreement called the Additional Protocol with the International Atomic Energy Agency, like the United Arab Emirates did in 2009 when it signed a “gold standard” nuclear cooperation deal with the US, an official said.
Trump emphasized in his post that there will be “no enrichment” of nuclear material. Saudi Arabia has previously been resistant to efforts to join the Abraham Accords, an effort started during Trump’s first term and expanded during his second to establish diplomatic ties between Israel and its neighbors in the Middle East.
It is unclear what impact Trump’s social media missive will have on the signed agreement.
CNN has reached out to the Saudi embassy for comment and to the White House about whether the deal is paused until Saudi Arabia signs on to the Abraham Accords.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
