The United States and Saudi Arabia have concluded a civil nuclear cooperation agreement that would permit the kingdom to construct nuclear reactors using American technology, an accord announced on 22 July that still requires approval from the US Congress. The deal immediately triggered alarm among Israeli political figures, who warned it could set off a regional nuclear arms race. Former prime minister Naftali Bennett, who is challenging Benjamin Netanyahu in an October election, called the agreement a "serious strategic failure that endangers our security" and said enrichment on Saudi soil could lead to a "dangerous loss of control." Former defence minister Avigdor Lieberman asserted that the civilian programme "will end in nuclear weapons" and urged Israel to lobby Congress to block it. Benny Gantz, another former defence chief, said no security official would consider introducing civilian nuclear capability into Saudi Arabia without integrating it into a moderate regional alliance as beneficial for Israel. The current government, led by Netanyahu, has not issued an official comment.

In Washington, the Department of Energy described the pact as "historic," stating that it upholds the highest standards of nuclear safety and non-proliferation while relying on US-designed technology. The agreement includes a so-called 123 agreement under the Atomic Energy Act and a bilateral safeguards arrangement. However, the initial announcement did not specify whether Saudi Arabia would be permitted to enrich uranium domestically—a point that non-proliferation groups have long flagged as a potential pathway to a nuclear weapon. On Thursday, President Donald Trump sought to clarify the terms in a post on Truth Social, writing that the deal concerns "non-military use" only and that "there will be no enrichment of material." He further conditioned the entire agreement on Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords, the US-brokered normalisation pacts with Israel. This linkage, viewed from European capitals, appears designed to address Israeli security concerns by tying nuclear cooperation to a broader diplomatic framework.

The nuclear negotiations have spanned both the Trump and Biden administrations, with Riyadh consistently seeking access to US nuclear technology for its civilian energy plans. Previous attempts stalled over Washington’s insistence on a "gold standard" that would bar enrichment and reprocessing—a standard the United Arab Emirates accepted in its 2009 nuclear deal. The current agreement, if approved, would mark a departure from that precedent unless Trump’s no-enrichment pledge is codified in the final text. Saudi Arabia has not publicly confirmed the enrichment terms or its willingness to normalise ties with Israel, though the kingdom has previously conditioned such a step on progress toward Palestinian statehood.

The dossier now moves to Capitol Hill, where lawmakers will have 90 days to review the agreement. Congressional scrutiny is expected to focus on the non-proliferation safeguards and the enforceability of the enrichment ban. In Israel, the debate is set to intensify in the run-up to the 27 October election, with opposition figures using the deal to portray the government as strategically isolated. The outcome will also test the viability of the Abraham Accords as a vehicle for regional integration, as Washington seeks to balance its alliance with Saudi Arabia against the security imperatives of its closest Middle Eastern partner.