President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that the United States has reached an agreement with Saudi Arabia to establish a civilian nuclear program. According to the president, the deal is contingent upon Saudi Arabia normalizing diplomatic relations with Israel under the framework of the Abraham Accords.
In a social media statement, President Trump said the agreement includes provisions that prevent the kingdom from enriching its own uranium. However, nonproliferation experts have expressed concern regarding the lack of specific enforcement mechanisms or guardrails to ensure that uranium is not enriched to weapons-grade levels.
Separately, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed recent criticism regarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following two fatal shootings in Maine and Houston. Reports indicate that at least 10 individuals have died in encounters with immigration agents since the administration began a new enforcement initiative. In the Maine incident, the family of the involved officer alleged the agent had a history of violent behavior that should have disqualified him from service.