Jul 30, 2026
President Donald Trump said Thursday that the newly signed civilian nuclear cooperation deal with Saudi Arabia would take effect only if the kingdom joined the Abraham Accords and normalized relations with Israel, a step Riyadh has said it will not take without a clear pathway to Palestinian statehood. Trump also said there would be no uranium enrichment, although that statement appeared to contradict descriptions of the signed agreement, which allows enrichment and includes a two-year feasibility study.
Trump's administration is preparing to submit to Congress a 30-year "123 Agreement" with Saudi Arabia that omits both the IAEA's Additional Protocol and the "gold standard" bar on uranium enrichment, while making no mention of Saudi normalization with Israel.
The Trump administration has reached a breakthrough agreement with Iran to end hostilities, drawing praise from Gulf states including Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar, but facing criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Vice President JD Vance publicly rebuked Israeli critics of the deal, causing divisions among Republicans.
President Donald Trump criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the G7 summit in France, urging him to use a 'softer touch' in Lebanon and be 'more responsible' with military operations against Hezbollah. The rebuke comes as Trump pursues a peace agreement with Iran, with the White House confirming he has signed an initial memorandum of understanding with Tehran.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi called on Israel to abandon plans to take control of 70 percent of Gaza during the G7 summit in France, where he also met with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines.
President Trump informed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of a pending Iran deal that the Israeli leader opposes, while US and Iranian officials issued conflicting statements about the status of peace negotiations aimed at ending hostilities between the two countries.
Vice President JD Vance stated the U.S. is "very close" to a peace deal with Iran that could be reached within a week to months, while publicly acknowledging divergent U.S. and Israeli interests amid tensions between President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu. The comments came as U.S. forces launched retaliatory strikes against Iran.
The U.S. military carried out strikes against Iranian positions, including missile launch sites, even as President Trump announced that negotiations for an Iran deal are progressing. Trump is demanding that multiple countries, including Saudi Arabia and Turkey, normalize relations with Israel through the Abraham Accords as a condition of any agreement, drawing criticism from pro-Israel hawks and GOP lawmakers concerned about concessions to Iran.
Four major European powers issued a joint statement condemning Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, warning that Israeli government policies are undermining prospects for a two-state solution.