The White House just made its move on a massive civil nuclear pact with Saudi Arabia, but the real drama is happening behind closed doors. President Donald Trump formally transmitted the proposed 30-year nuclear cooperation agreement to Capitol Hill, triggering a strict 90-day congressional review window.
There is a massive catch.
The administration insists the deal won't actually go into effect unless Riyadh formally recognizes Israel by joining the Abraham Accords. It is a high-stakes geopolitical gamble. The text of the agreement itself, finalized after being signed by US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, did not originally spell out normalization. That omission sent shockwaves through Washington and Jerusalem when it first came to light, prompting a scramble to tie the two issues back together.
The Normalization Roadblock
Let's look at what is holding this back. Riyadh isn't budging on its terms. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman wants an irreversible path toward a Palestinian state before entering into any normalization deal with Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government rejects that outright.
So how does sending the deal to Congress change anything? Honestly, it might complicate things.
Under the Atomic Energy Act, Congress has 90 session days to evaluate the pact. If lawmakers do nothing, the agreement automatically clears. Critics like Henry Sokolski from the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center point out a glaring vulnerability: starting the clock opens a pathway for Congress to let the nuclear agreement proceed independently, stripping away Trump's normalization and nonproliferation conditions entirely.
Inside the Nuclear Terms
The economic stakes are massive. The 30-year framework paves the way for building AP1000 reactors—a multi-billion-dollar enterprise that directly benefits Westinghouse, which is jointly owned by Brookfield Asset Management and Canada-based Cameco.
Yet, nonproliferation watchdogs are furious about the omissions in the text. Unlike the 2009 "gold standard" nuclear agreement signed with the United Arab Emirates, this Saudi pact faces heavy criticism for lacking strict limitations on uranium enrichment and the reprocessing of nuclear waste. It also omits the International Atomic Energy Agency's Additional Protocol, which allows for significantly tighter inspections and short-notice monitoring.
Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are already sounding alarms about fueling a regional nuclear arms race in the Middle East.
What Happens Next
The clock is ticking on Capitol Hill. The administration maintains that Riyadh understands the prerequisites, even if the diplomatic tightrope walk grows thinner by the day. If you are tracking the future of Middle East diplomacy, watch how congressional committees handle the review period. The White House is betting that tying multi-billion-dollar energy infrastructure to regional peace will force a breakthrough.
Riyadh holds the cards on Palestinian statehood, Washington wants the industrial win for American firms, and Israel is watching every move. Expect intense legislative battles before the 90 days run out.
