Nuclear Deal Suddenly Conditioned on Abraham Accords: Shortly after the US-Saudi civil nuclear cooperation agreement was signed, President Trump publicly stated that the deal would not advance unless Saudi Arabia normalizes relations with Israel by joining the Abraham Accords, creating uncertainty about its future.

Strategic Leverage and Regional Calculations: The move is interpreted as an attempt to increase US leverage over Riyadh, potentially tying Saudi cooperation (bases, logistics, regional influence) more tightly to broader US-Israel-Iran strategy, while Saudi Arabia balances relations with Washington, Tehran, and domestic succession concerns.

Deal Details Remain Limited and Contested: The agreement reportedly includes a 123 Agreement and a two-year study on enrichment needs, with Trump insisting there will be no enrichment; Congress has a 90-day review window, and the Abraham Accords condition appears likely to delay substantive implementation.

The excitement over the US-Saudi nuclear deal has proved to be short-lived. Apparently, the US President Donald Trump himself poured cold water into it by adding a caveat on Thursday that in order for the deal to be advanced, Saudi Arabia must first join the Abraham Accords. That is, as things stand, may seem like asking for the moon. 

However, it’s all but certain that Trump allowed the Saudi deal to be signed after consulting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a last throw of dice to pin down Saudi Arabia as a participant / collaborator alongside Israel (and the UAE) for an all-out war against Iran that  might at some point entail ground operations, which is not possible without first getting Riyadh on his side firmly, irrevocably. 

If Saudi Arabia dissociates from Tump’s upcoming war and disallows the US to use the Saudi bases or work out the logistics accordingly,........

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