The United States has decided to no longer insist that Saudi Arabia formally recognize Israel as a precondition for advancing discussions on civilian nuclear cooperation, according to two individuals familiar with the matter, speaking to Reuters just days before President Donald Trump is scheduled to travel to the region.
This marks a significant policy shift by Washington, signaling its willingness to ease a key demand that has long tied nuclear discussions to broader diplomatic recognition. Under Joe Biden’s administration, nuclear cooperation was closely linked to normalization with Israel and Saudi Arabia’s pursuit of a formal security alliance with the U.S.
Riyadh has maintained that it will not enter into diplomatic relations with Israel unless the Palestinians are granted statehood—a position that repeatedly derailed the Biden administration’s efforts to expand upon the Abraham Accords, which were signed during President Trump’s first term. That agreement saw the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco officially establish ties with Israel. However, any movement on the Saudi front has been frozen due to growing anger in the Arab world over the ongoing war in Gaza. Additionally, the nuclear talks hit an impasse over concerns from Washington regarding nuclear proliferation.
Signaling a possible recalibration in strategy, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright noted during a visit to Saudi Arabia in April that the two countries were progressing toward a potential civilian nuclear deal. “When we have something to announce, you will hear it from the President. Any reports on this are speculative,” said James Hewitt, spokesperson for the US National Security Council, when approached by Reuters for a comment.
There was no immediate reply from the Saudi government’s official media office when Reuters requested a statement.
According to one of the sources, even though the demand for normalization is no longer tethered to nuclear talks, and discussions are being separated from broader defense pact negotiations, the possibility of an imminent deal remains distant.
{Matzav.com}