The strain in relations between the US and Israel has only increased in the past few days as US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said that Saudi Arabia and the United States were on a “pathway” to a civil nuclear agreement when he visited the kingdom last month.
The Saudis have long expressed their wish to develop nuclear weapons if their rival country, Iran, does so.
“When we have something to announce, you will hear it from the President. Any reports on this are speculative,” US National Security Council spokesman James Hewitt told Reporters.
US Senator Lindsay Graham, a staunch Trump supporter, wrote on X that any deal with Saudis, excluding Israel, without normalisation of relations will no longer be worthy.
However, one of the sources familiar with the matter told reporters that, even without Israel getting on board, the deal is in progress and might be signed soon.
According to section 123 of the US Atomic Energy Act, cooperation with other countries developing civil nuclear capabilities but non-proliferation criteria, including limiting uranium enrichment.
The Kingdom has also expressed their willingness to enrich the uranium and sell the product in the market. As per further sources, the Kingdom did not want to sign the deal under the 123 agreement, as it limits the procurement and development of nuclear weapons by limiting both Uranium and plutonium enrichment beyond certain limits.
Meanwhile, Secretary Wright previously told Reporters that a 123 agreement would be a prerequisite to any deal. However, there are several ways to structure a deal to achieve both countries’ objectives, Wright has said.
One solution being discussed is a “black box” arrangement where only US personnel would have access to a uranium enrichment facility on Saudi soil, the same source told reporters.
“If Israel doesn’t come to its senses, the price of missing out will be higher than ever before,” the official warned. The official cautioned that Trump would no longer wait for Israel and was determined to move forward with the strategic agreement. It wasn’t clear what the official was expecting Israel to do.
“The ceasefire agreement with the Houthis is just a prelude, and if Israel doesn’t wake up, the ‘Deal of the Millennium’ will also be finalised without it,” the official reportedly said, adding that “We hope Israel will get on board this historic train that’s already left the station.”
Saudi Arabia and the United States are set to discuss a number of blockbuster economic deals during Trump’s visit next week, with the US poised to offer Saudi Arabia an arms package worth well over $100 billion, sources have told Reuters.
Trump has said Riyadh should “round up” a planned investment package in the US to $1 trillion from an initial $600 billion.
Apart from the Saudi-US deal, the Trump administration is strongly backing a ceasefire deal in Gaza with Hamas, for which they are pressurising Israel even further by threatening that the US would no longer be compelled by Israel.
“If until today, the hostages paid the price for not ending the war, then today the price will be much heavier for Israel, and not only the hostages,” the official was quoted as saying, adding that Israel has failed to take advantage of the emerging US nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia, which Trump is reportedly no longer conditioning on Riyadh normalising ties with the Jewish state.
“If Israel doesn’t come to its senses, the price of missing out will be higher than ever before,” the official — reportedly Witkoff — warned.
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