Trump's Saudi Condition Must Join the Abraham Agreement to Surprise Negotiators

JAKARTA - US President Donald Trump's request for Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords, as part of the previously announced nuclear deal, surprised the US nuclear negotiating team.

The White House said the new provision has long been a goal of Trump and should not come as a surprise, according to a CNN report on Thursday (23/7), citing sources familiar with the matter.

The confusion began with a hasty announcement by US Energy Secretary Chris Wrightyang related to a deal that was not final, although the White House had asked that the announcement be postponed.

According to a CNN source reported by ANTARA, the situation made Trump angry and triggered internal discord in his administration. Initial talks on the deal took place in April 2025, when Wright made his first foreign visit to Saudi Arabia.

Previously, Trump said the nuclear cooperation agreement between the US and Saudi Arabia depends on Saudi participation in the Abraham Accords.

The deal announced by the US Department of Energy on Wednesday (22/7) provides US companies with broader access to Saudi Arabia's nuclear energy program.

The Abraham Accords are a series of agreements on the normalization of diplomatic, economic, and security relations between Israel and several Arab countries. The agreement was mediated by ASpada in 2020 during the Trump administration's first term.