WASHINGTON, July 24 (AFP) : US President Donald Trump said Thursday that a nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia depends on the kingdom recognizing Israel-throwing the agreement into turmoil just the day after it was signed.
Riyadh has long resisted joining the so-called Abraham Accords with Israel, insisting especially after the Gaza conflict on a pathway to a Palestinian state.
The civilian nuclear deal announced on Wednesday had appeared to be a major win for the Saudis, especially coming as Trump wages war on Iran in large part over concerns about Tehran's own atomic program.
But Trump threw a gigantic spanner into the works with his post on his Truth Social network saying the Saudi deal "will be approved, but is totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords."
The White House insisted that the Saudis knew the deal was contingent on recognizing Israel, despite the fact that it was not mentioned when the deal was announced.
"The president is always the final dealmaker, as you know," Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, adding that the Abraham Accords were "something that he feels very strongly about and has spoken about it in the past and will continue to uphold."
Leavitt said Washington would "continue to have those conversations with our Saudi counterparts" to finalize a deal including recognition of Israel.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said recognition by Saudi Arabia, a regional power and home to Islam's holiest sites, would mark a "historic leap" forward for peace in the Middle East. Leavitt said she did not know of any calls between Trump and Netanyahu following the announcement of the Saudi agreement.
Should it go through, the deal to establish a civilian nuclear program in Saudi Arabia would generate billions of dollars for American companies, but with Trump's latest announcement, it was unclear whether it would ever see the light of day.
If Washington "tries to force normalization on Riyadh, it's not likely to work out very well", said H.A. Hellyer, senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies.
