White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said a proposed U.S. civilian nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia would move forward only if the kingdom agrees to join the Abraham Accords. Referring to comments from President Donald Trump, she said the proposal would allow only civilian nuclear cooperation, prohibit uranium enrichment, and remain contingent on Saudi Arabia normalizing relations with Israel through the accords.

During the briefing, reporters questioned why that requirement had not been mentioned earlier when the Energy Secretary discussed the proposal. Leavitt responded that Trump is the administration’s final decision-maker and said he has consistently maintained that Saudi Arabia’s participation in the Abraham Accords is a condition of the agreement. She declined to provide additional details, including whether international inspections would be part of the arrangement, explaining that negotiations are still underway.

Reporters also noted that Saudi officials have previously stated that normalizing relations with Israel would require meaningful progress toward establishing a Palestinian state. Asked whether Saudi Arabia has accepted Trump’s latest condition, Leavitt said the president has raised the issue with Saudi leaders during previous discussions and that talks will continue, but she declined to comment further on ongoing diplomatic negotiations.

The briefing also addressed Iran, with Leavitt defending the administration’s approach to the region. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States remains open to diplomacy despite accusing Iran of violating commitments related to commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. He said Iran’s attacks on commercial vessels had undermined previous understandings but emphasized that Washington would continue pursuing a diplomatic solution if Iran changes its behavior.