It seems a bit of a conundrum why a country as energy-rich as Saudi Arabia, with its still-extensive reserves of petroleum and gas, would seek nuclear power for electrical generation. But on many levels it's a logical step for the Kingdom, especially if they want to increase their manufacturing sector and become a country that makes things, not just a giant gas station. Nuclear power is reliable, and it's a high-energy-density source.
Now, we learn that President Trump's Department of Energy is nearing a deal to work with the Saudis on strictly non-military nuclear power, and what's interesting about the deal is that it appears to be contingent on the Saudis joining the Abraham Accords, which means normalizing and establishing full recognition and diplomatic relations with Israel. That's a big deal, and on Thursday morning, President Trump took to his Truth Social account to announce that possible deal.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 23, 2026
The president writes:
The Civil Nuclear Deal (There will be no enrichment of material!) being made between the United States Department of Energy and Saudi Arabia, which pertains only to non-military use such as the ones that Iran and UAE (and others) already have, will be approved, but is totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords. The United States is not opposed to Civil (Non-Enriched) Nuclear Facilities. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP
Many presidents have made a lot of noise about seeking an ever-elusive peace in the war-torn Middle East. Still, President Trump's Abraham Accords have moved the region farther in that direction than any other effort to date. The initial signatories were Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco; since then, Sudan and Kazakhstan have signed on, and the new breakaway nation of Somaliland is making noises about joining.
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Saudi Arabia has expressed interest in the past, but has not actually agreed to sign on to the Accords. If the Saudis were to sign on, that would be something of a game-changer. Not only is Saudi Arabia one of the more powerful nations in the region, but it's home to the Sunni branch of Islam, along with the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. The Saudis are also an American ally, at least to the extent that any majority-Muslim nation is. President Trump appears to have a good working relationship with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, who is next in line to be king - and unlike, say, the United Kingdom, the king in Saudi Arabia wields considerable actual power. The Saudis also have one of the top five most powerful militaries in the region. Having them sign on to the Abraham Accords may well start a preference cascade that results in some of the other Gulf states signing on.
The prospect of nuclear power may well be enough to tip the Saudis over into signing on.
As of this writing, it's not clear what form this potential deal will take. The Saudis do have considerable domestic uranium deposits, mostly in the Arabian Shield, so presumably what they are seeking from the Trump administration is technical support for mining and processing that uranium, something they are not doing at present, along with building modern reactors and the generation capacity.
This could be quite an interesting deal. Domestic nuclear power might help the Saudis move beyond an extraction economy. The United States could help them - but notice that President Trump has laid the same condition on the Saudis that he has on Iran: No nuclear weapons.
Editor's Note: For decades, former presidents have been all talk and no action. Now, Donald Trump is eliminating the threat from Iran once and for all.
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