Trump says ‘it’s time’ for Saudi Arabia to normalise ties with Israel

US President Donald Trump stated that a civil nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia is contingent on Riyadh normalizing ties with Israel under the Abraham Accords. Despite the US Department of Energy announcing the deal without this condition, Trump clarified on Friday, "I just say that in order to do it, they have to be a member of the Abraham Accords." He added, "But it’s time now that they do it." Trump asserted that this condition was always understood by both Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has not yet responded to this new condition, having previously maintained that formal relations with Israel require a clear path to Palestinian statehood. The nuclear cooperation deal, expected to last 30 years and involve the transfer of US technology, will be submitted to Congress for review. Trump also indicated there "will be no enrichment of material" by Saudi Arabia.