No evidence Saudi-US nuclear deal tied to Israel normalization: Axios

The US news site Axios has reported that there are no indications the text of the civil nuclear agreement signed between Saudi Arabia and the United States formally links its implementation to the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

Axios clarified that the agreement was signed independently of any Saudi-Israeli peace deal and, based on available information, does not contain any provision connecting civil nuclear cooperation to normalization, despite former US President Donald Trump’s statements suggesting the deal would be contingent on Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords.

This comes after Saudi Arabia and the United States signed an agreement earlier this week on cooperation for the peaceful use of nuclear energy, as well as a bilateral nuclear safeguards agreement, establishing the legal framework for civil nuclear cooperation between the two countries.

Riyadh’s stance on linking the deal to normalization

In the same context, Asharq Bloomberg, citing a knowledgeable source, reported that former President Donald Trump’s announcement linking the nuclear deal’s implementation to normalization with Israel was not coordinated in advance with Saudi Arabia.

The source, who requested anonymity, added that Riyadh had no prior knowledge of Trump’s intention to tie the nuclear file to relations with Israel.