Normalisation not discussed during months of Saudi-US nuclear negotiations, sources say

Normalisation not discussed during months of Saudi-US nuclear negotiations, sources say

Since November 2025, the US and Saudi Arabia have been hashing out a civilian nuclear agreement, but in dozens of exchanges between officials, Riyadh’s diplomatic recognition of Israel never once came up, one current and one former US official familiar with the talks told Middle East Eye.

“Normalisation was never listed as a condition,” one of the sources told MEE. “Not once.”

Less than 24 hours after Saudi Arabia and the US signed a nuclear deal on Wednesday, President Donald Trump declared the agreement “totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords”.

The social media post likely blindsided US and Arab officials, not least because Trump and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had just spoken that day. The two countries’ top diplomats also held a phone call on Wednesday.

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US President Donald Trump, left, greets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the White House's South Lawn in Washington, DC, on 18 November 2025 (Saul Loeb/AFP) ...