Trump has submitted civil nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia to Congress for review, AP sources say

Trump has submitted civil nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia to Congress for review, AP sources say 1 of 2 | President Donald Trump walks after a back to school event in the Rose Garden of the White House, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) 2 of 2 | President Donald Trump stands with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on his visit to the White House, Nov. 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File) By MATTHEW LEE, SEUNG MIN KIM and AAMER MADHANI Updated 4:12 AM MESZ, August 26, 2026 Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has submitted to Congress for review an agreement with Saudi Arabia aimed at bolstering the kingdom’s Civilian nuclear program, but continues to insist that it won’t move forward if Saudi Arabia doesn’t normalize relations with Israel, according to a Trump administration official. The classified document was submitted to Capitol Hill on Monday as required by the Atomic Energy Act, according to the administration official, a congressional aide, and two others familiar with the matter. All four spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly on the classified matter. The agreement was signedlast month in Washington by U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and his Saudi counterpart. But the next day, Trump announced he was requiring the Saudis to normalize relations with Israel through the Abraham Accords as part of the pact — raising doubts that the agreement would come to fruition. Neither the administration official nor the others familiar with the matter would comment on whether Trump’s call for the Saudis to join the accords is detailed in the classified document submitted for the congressional review. Under law, Congress has 90 days while in session to review the agreement. Unless Congress passes a joint resolution rejecting the agreement during the review period, the agreement can take effect without a vote by either chamber. US-Iran conflict enters new phase as Saudi Arabia helps hit proxies and diplomacy stalls again 1 MIN READ Trump announces a deal for Hamas to disarm in Gaza, but many hurdles and uncertainty remain 1 MIN READ Trump says Mideast allies have reached outlines of deal to end Iran war, says US to stop new strikes 1 MIN READ It is unusual for the entire contents of such agreements to be classified at such a high level. Previous civil nuclear pacts with other countries — known as 123 agreements — have been made public, although some of them have contained classified annexes that were not released. The Saudi embassy in Washington did not have any immediate comment on the matter. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google and Terms of Service apply. But Trump’s continued insistence on the Saudis joining the accords could complicate the path to final approval. The accords approved in 2020 expanded the number of Arab and Muslim-majority nations with diplomatic ties with Israel. The Saudis were taken by surprise by Trump’s announcement that the completion of the civil nuclear deal would hinge on Riyadh’s agreement to join the accords. Trump faced fierce criticism from some lawmakers, including some who are concerned it could potentially help the Saudis fulfill their long-standing desire to enrich their own uranium and, in the process, spur new rounds of nuclear proliferation and competition. The Saudis, meanwhile, have made clear that normalizing relations with Israel would first require the establishment of a clear path for Palestinian statehood. And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the idea of Palestinian statehood as being untenable for his country’s security. The deal, if approved, is expected to last 30 years and is also expected to involve U.S. firms in developing the program following a joint U.S.-Saudi study. The formal submission of the agreement to Congress for review was reported earlier Tuesday by The Wall Street Journal. SEUNG MIN KIM Kim covers the White House for The Associated Press. She joined the AP in 2022 and is based in Washington. Kim is also a political analyst for CNN. twitter mailto AAMER MADHANI Madhani is a White House reporter for the Associated Press whose reporting focuses on U.S. foreign policy. Contact him securely on Signal at aamermadhani.39 twitter mailto