US Sends Saudi Nuclear Deal to Congress for Review

The Trump administration formally sent a proposed US-Saudi nuclear energy agreement to Congress on Monday, while saying the deal would only proceed if Saudi Arabia joins the Abraham Accords, an administration official told ABC News.

Two sources familiar with the move also said the text of the proposed agreement was transmitted on Monday.

The landmark US-Saudi nuclear agreement was finalised last month under Section 123 of the US Atomic Energy Act. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee have 90 days of continuous session to review the proposed deal, although the review timeline can be paused, which has been done before.

Finalised And Signed Last Month

The agreement was finalised on 22 July, the US Energy Department said. It was signed by US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman the following day.

On 23 July, however, President Donald Trump introduced a new condition. He announced that the nuclear deal would be contingent on Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords, a requirement that was not included in the version previously agreed.

Saudi Arabia’s participation in the Abraham Accords would involve normalising relations with Israel. Saudi policy has opposed such steps in the absence of Israeli recognition of a Palestinian state.

Condition Added After Finalisation

In a briefing to ABC on Tuesday, the administration official said the president’s stance had not changed, adding that the nuclear agreement “will only move forward if Saudi Arabia joins the Abraham Accords”.

It was not immediately clear why the administration transmitted the agreement to Congress now, given that the deal was finalised more than a month ago and Saudi Arabia has not publicly indicated any intention to join the Accords.

Civil Nuclear Co-operation, Enrichment Debate

Under the agreement, the United States would be able to partner with Saudi Arabia on developing the kingdom’s civil nuclear energy programme.

US officials previously told ABC that the deal leaves open the possibility of Saudi Arabia enriching uranium domestically in the future. Such a prospect could heighten concerns about nuclear weapons proliferation.

Trump has said, though, that enrichment would not occur under the agreement. “There will be no enrichment of material!” he wrote in a social media post last month.

The transmission of the proposed agreement to Congress was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Join the discussion?

26 August 2026