P
resident Donald Trump has sent a proposed civil nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia to Congress while maintaining that the deal will only take effect if the kingdom normalizes relations with Israel, a U.S. administration official told Reuters on Tuesday.
The agreement, reached in July, would allow American companies to export civilian nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia. It was formally transmitted to Congress on Monday, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The Saudi embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Under U.S. law, Congress has 90 session days to review the pact. Unless lawmakers object, the agreement will go into force. If Congress were to reject it, Trump could veto that decision, which would require a two-thirds majority in both chambers to override.
“The president’s position has not changed that the agreement will only move forward if Saudi Arabia joins the Abraham Accords,” the U.S. official said, referring to the U.S.-brokered normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab and Muslim-majority nations reached in 2020 and 2021.
It was not immediately clear how sending the deal to Congress now advances the president’s objectives, given the normalization condition.