Trump says Saudi Arabia's nuclear deal hinges on the kingdom normalizing Israel ties

President Trump said on Thursday that a new nuclear energy deal with Saudi Arabia will require the Arab kingdom to normalize relations with Israel. That marked a turn, a day after the administration announced the signing of the agreement without mentioning that precondition. Trump said in an online post that the deal will be approved, but is totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords. "Does a social post supersede a signed diplomatic agreement? I think this is one of the frustrations that other countries have had with the United States," said Steven Cook, senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. "No one in Washington really knows how it's going to work." White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that President Trump did not speak to Saudi leadership before posting the condition on social media, but said he has previously spoken about the importance of joining the Abraham Accords with Gulf and Arab allies. "This deal with Saudi Arabia, the energy deal, is contingent on this condition, as far as the president is concerned, so, we'll continue to talk with our Saudi counterparts to get the deal finalized and hopefully see them join the Abraham Accords very soon," Leavitt said.