The Trump administration has officially transmitted a nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia to Congress for review. Under the Atomic Energy Act, this civil nuclear deal—which includes provisions that could permit uranium enrichment within the kingdom—is set to take effect in 90 days unless both chambers of Congress pass resolutions of disapproval.
Despite the formal submission, the White House has maintained that the agreement will not proceed unless Saudi Arabia joins the Abraham Accords, an initiative established during Donald Trump’s first term to foster diplomatic ties between Israel and various Arab nations. An administration official confirmed that the president’s position remains unchanged, stating the deal will only move forward if Riyadh commits to the accords. The White House has not clarified how it intends to prevent the agreement from automatically entering into force after the 90-day window expires.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright, appearing at a press conference alongside International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) head Rafael Grossi, stated that negotiations regarding the nuclear deal and the Abraham Accords are being handled in parallel. When asked about the status of the relationship, a Saudi official noted that ties between the two nations are constantly evolving and broadening, adding that the kingdom looks forward to working with both the administration and Congress to strengthen the partnership.
The submission of the deal has been marked by unusual secrecy. A source familiar with the matter revealed that the text provided to Congress is classified, a move described by experts as unprecedented for a standard 123 agreement. It remains unclear whether any portion of the agreement, or the sensitive side letters previously mentioned by administration officials, will be made public or shared in an unclassified format. Andrea Stricker of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies noted that while annexes containing nonproliferation analyses are typically classified, shielding the entire text is highly irregular.
Regarding the technical aspects of the deal, Secretary Wright confirmed that it provides a pathway for Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium on its own soil, though he emphasized that such activities are many years away. The agreement includes a joint study mechanism that could allow the kingdom to produce fuel for civilian reactors without adopting the IAEA’s Additional Protocol, which grants the agency broad authority to inspect potential nuclear weapons sites. Wright argued that bilaterally negotiated safeguards, developed in coordination with the IAEA, would be sufficient to prevent the development of nuclear weapons.
IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi stated that his agency and its Board of Governors must review and approve these safeguards. He expressed confidence in the process, noting that the agreement would incorporate extra layers of stringent verification to guarantee nonproliferation. However, the diplomatic condition linking the deal to the Abraham Accords reportedly caught the administration’s own nuclear negotiators by surprise when it was first announced.
Historical precedent offers a potential path for the administration to stall the deal. In 2008, the George W. Bush administration withdrew a 123 agreement with Russia from congressional consideration following Moscow’s invasion of Georgia, citing concerns that the move compromised the national security certification required by law. President Trump issued his own formal certification for the Saudi deal on July 16.
Scott Roecker of the Nuclear Threat Initiative suggested that the administration could simply decline to finalize the agreement even after the congressional review period concludes. He noted that the administration is entering uncharted territory and could theoretically withhold the final step of the process until Saudi Arabia agrees to normalize relations with Israel. The report also notes that a Saudi official responded to a query saying, “Saudi-US relations are ever-evolving and have continued to broaden and to deepen over the years.”. The report also notes that wright said Wednesday that the two countries must “mutually (agree that enrichment) makes commercial sense and … fits into our national security framework.”. The report also notes that according to the Federal Register, trump formally issued his certification on July 16. The report also notes that the agreement itself did not include a provision mandating Saudi Arabia join. The report also notes that this story has been updated with additional reporting. The report also notes that ted Barrett contributed to this report. The report also notes that davis Winkie’s work at is supported by a partnership between Outrider Foundation and Journalism Funding Partners (JFP). The report also notes that retains full editorial control of the reporting.
