US President Donald Trump has sent a classified agreement on Saudi Arabia’s civilian nuclear programme to Congress for review, while insisting that Riyadh must normalise relations with Israel for the deal to move forward.
The agreement was signed in Washington last month by the US and Saudi energy officials. However, Trump later said Saudi Arabia would need to join the Abraham Accords, which established diplomatic ties between Israel and several Arab and Muslim-majority countries.
The document was submitted to Congress under the Atomic Energy Act. Lawmakers have 90 days while in session to review the agreement. Unless Congress passes a joint resolution rejecting it during that period, the deal can take effect without a vote in either chamber.
The classification of the agreement has raised questions because previous US civilian nuclear agreements with other countries have generally been made public, although some contained classified sections.
The deal has also faced concerns from US lawmakers over nuclear proliferation. Some fear that expanded civilian nuclear capabilities could eventually allow Saudi Arabia to develop domestic uranium enrichment capabilities.
Riyadh has linked any normalisation agreement with Israel to establishing a clear path towards Palestinian statehood. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected Palestinian statehood, creating another obstacle to the proposed arrangement.
If approved, the nuclear agreement is expected to remain in effect for 30 years and could involve US companies in developing Saudi Arabia’s civilian nuclear programme.
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