Leavitt deflects questions about new conditions on Saudi nuclear deal
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt avoided directly addressing questions over why President Trump added new terms to a US-Saudi civilian nuclear agreement after it was announced. The change matters because it makes US nuclear co-operation conditional on Saudi Arabia normalising relations with Israel through the Abraham Accords, potentially putting the deal at risk.
Trump said the arrangement would permit only non-military, non-enriched nuclear facilities, despite earlier reports that it could offer Saudi Arabia a route to uranium enrichment. Leavitt said Trump was the final decision-maker and had previously raised the issue with Saudi leaders, but indicated he had not spoken to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman since announcing the condition; she said the agreement would be off if Riyadh did not join the accords.
- US-Saudi nuclear deal now depends on Saudi recognition of Israel.
- Leavitt did not explain why the condition was added later.
- The agreement’s uranium-enrichment terms remain disputed.