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

The US news site Axios has confirmed there are no indications that 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 the Kingdom and Israel.

According to Axios, the agreement was signed independently of any Saudi-Israeli peace deal and, based on available information, does not include language tying civil nuclear cooperation to normalization, despite statements by former US President Donald Trump suggesting the deal would be connected to Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords.

This comes after Saudi Arabia and the United States signed an agreement this week to cooperate on the peaceful uses 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 position on linking the deal to normalization

In a related development, Asharq Bloomberg, citing a knowledgeable source, reported that former President Donald Trump's announcement linking the nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia to normalization with Israel was not coordinated in advance with Riyadh.

The source, who requested anonymity, added that Saudi Arabia was not previously aware of Trump's intention to connect the nuclear file to relations with Israel.