US reportedly drops Israel normalization condition in Saudi civil nuclear talks ahead of Trump’s Middle East visit

The United States has conceded the requirement that Saudi Arabia normalize ties with Israel as a condition for advancing civil nuclear cooperation, according to a Reuters report on Thursday.

The change comes ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s diplomatic visit to the Middle East next week, and ongoing nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran. 

Previously, nuclear negotiations were part of a broader defense alliance deal involving the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, as well as the normalization of relations between the Saudi Kingdom and Israel. The dismantling of Hamas and Iran’s so-called “Axis of Resistance” brought Israel and Saudi Arabia closer together, making a Saudi-Israeli normalization a catalyst for a potential realigned Middle East.

However, amid the ongoing war in Gaza, the Saudi Kingdom has repeatedly said it would not normalize ties with Israel without the formation of a Palestinian state, blocking the expansion of the Abraham Accords – the multilateral agreement signed in 2020 between Israel, Bahrain, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates.

Another obstacle to a defense alliance between Saudi Arabia and the U.S. is the kingdom’s reluctance to accept the nonproliferation requirements outlined in Section 123 of the U.S. Atomic Energy Act, which restricts uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing to prevent the development of nuclear weapons.

Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said the kingdom would seek to enrich uranium and sell the product. 

However, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the 123 agreement would be a prerequisite to any deal. 

During an April visit to Riyadh, Wright said that Saudi Arabia and the U.S. were on a "pathway" to a civil nuclear agreement that includes part of Vision 2030, the kingdom’s plan to diversify its economy, reduce its dependence on oil, and develop alternative energy sources.

U.S. National Security Council Spokesman James Hewitt added, "When we have something to announce, you will hear it from the President. Any reports on this are speculative.” 

Arms control advocates have been apprehensive about a potential Saudi nuclear program, citing the kingdom's stated intention to pursue nuclear weapons should Tehran do so.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said he has been warning for years "about a Saudi deal involving uranium enrichment. It is inconceivable that Netanyahu is silent while a deal is being crafted that will cause a nuclear arms race in the Middle East and could result in nuclear capabilities falling into the wrong hands."

New satellite images discovered by Fox News on Thursday show a secret Iranian nuclear weapons facility in Iran’s northern province. According to the Network Contagion Research Institute, the facility's primary function is tritium extraction. Tritium is a "radioactive isotope of hydrogen” and is used to enhance nuclear weapons, according to the Fox report.

Trump’s upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia will also include talks about a $100 billion proposed arms deal and a weighty increase of Saudi investments in the U.S. from $6 billion to $1 trillion.

During Trump’s first term, when the Abraham Accords were formed, the U.S. administration also fostered close ties with Saudi Arabia.

The kingdom invested $2 billion in a company formed by Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and former aide, after Trump left office, and there are plans to build two Trump towers in Jeddah and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's economic and political hubs.