White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said a proposed U.S. civilian nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia would move forward only if the kingdom agrees to join the Abraham Accords. Citing a statement from President Donald Trump, she said the deal would allow only civilian nuclear cooperation with no uranium enrichment and would remain contingent on Saudi Arabia normalizing relations with Israel through the accords.
During the briefing, reporters questioned why that condition had not been mentioned earlier when the Energy Secretary discussed the proposal. Leavitt responded that Trump is the administration’s final decision-maker and said he has consistently maintained that the agreement depends on Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords. She declined to discuss additional details, including whether the deal would involve international inspection requirements, saying negotiations are still ongoing.
Reporters also noted that Saudi officials have previously said normalization with Israel would require progress toward establishing a Palestinian state. Asked whether Saudi Arabia has accepted Trump’s latest condition, Leavitt said the president has raised the issue with Saudi leaders in previous conversations and that discussions will continue, but she would not comment further on diplomatic talks.
The briefing also touched on Iran. Leavitt defended the administration’s approach, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States remains open to diplomacy despite accusing Iran of violating commitments related to commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Rubio said Iran’s attacks on commercial vessels undermined previous understandings but emphasized that the U.S. would still pursue a diplomatic solution if Iran changes its behavior.