Trump Upends US-Saudi Nuclear Deal With Latest Comments
Your Daily Update for July 25, 2026. Plus: Just days after its signing, Trump has sent the world into confusion with his latest comments over the US-Saudi nuclear deal.
Welcome to today’s daily update for Saturday, July 25, 2026. Here’s everything you need to know.
The Breakdown
Just days after its signing, US President Donald Trump has announced a new demand for the nation’s nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia – and it has both sides confused, shocked, and angry.
On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia signed a landmark nuclear deal with the United States that would see them begin a civilian nuclear program, allowing them to use American technology to enrich uranium on their own soil. Saudi Arabia has been looking to obtain this technology for years, as it would allow them to build nuclear power plants amid a recent shift towards renewable energy while funneling money into American markets.
However, various experts – including prominent politicians from both the Democratic and the Republican Party – raised concerns over the deal, claiming that providing the technology necessary to enrich uranium on Saudi soil could permit them to build a nuclear weapon in the near future. Officials assuaged these concerns with arguments that such a move is highly unlikely and almost impossible with the technology they are receiving, but the backlash was enough to spark Trump to give his own comments.
Nevertheless, those comments were anything but what people were expecting. Trump claimed that the nation will not be allowed to enrich uranium, contrary to the wording of the agreement – and going against its entire premise. The entire deal, known as the 123 Agreement, centers around the future construction of a uranium enrichment plant in Saudi Arabia.
Without the ability to enrich uranium, Saudi Arabia would not be able to create a civilian nuclear program without importing the enriched uranium necessary to do so, meaning that they would need further assistance from the United States.
Then, just as he bamboozled the press and his own administration, Trump made a new demand that angered those on the other end of the deal – Trump asserted that Saudi Arabia must join the Abraham Accords, which mandate Arab states to adopt a stance of friendliness towards Israel, in order to receive the technology.
The demands completely caught Saudi Arabia off-guard. Prior to Trump’s comments, the Middle Eastern nation believed that they had secured a strong deal that would benefit both sides – only to see it disappear within days.
Suddenly, confusion erupted across the US. News reporters quickly asked a crucial question – why was the deal finalized if such demands and conditions were not yet proposed? The Trump administration quickly placed the blame on the Energy Department, stating that the division had hastily finalized the deal without Trump’s official sign-off.
The administration further claimed that the executive branch had requested the department to avoid releasing the details of the deal on Wednesday, but the Energy Department went ahead and did so anyway. Trump further expressed his anger over the early rollout of the agreement, echoing the thoughts of many of his fellow Republicans that had opposed the idea of Saudi uranium enrichment.
Trump is likely to be able to change or block the agreement even after its signing, due to the mandatory review period. Under the US Atomic Energy Act, the deal must be sent to Congress for a 90-day review period, during which various attempts to take down or alter the agreement will be made. Pro-Israel lawmakers will attempt to introduce Trump’s demand into the official wording of the deal, while members on either side can introduce a Joint Resolution of Disapproval to block it – though, this resolution must be passed by both chambers, which is relatively unlikely.
On top of this, President Trump must sign a national security waiver that allows the deal to go through, guaranteeing that the agreement cannot be officially finalized until he signs off.
The Global Snapshot
US President Donald Trump has announced a new wave of sweeping tariffs that has hit nations all over the world under the justification that they have sent products made with forced labor to US markets. The tariffs range from 10% to 12.5% and took effect on __. However, they have faced serious backlash from other countries, which have strongly refuted the idea that they engage in forced labor. Many countries, like Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the EU – which have more protective labor laws than the US – were confused over the reasoning behind the tariffs and questioned the move.
Ukraine is now targeting warehouses belonging to Wildberries – a Russian online retailer similar to Amazon in the Western world. Ukraine asserts that the warehouses store weapons and equipment used by the Russian Armed Forces, which has been confirmed by multiple reports, but Russia has denied the claims. Nevertheless, the attacks are a massive blow to Russian small businesses, many of which source their products from Wildberries or use it as a platform to sell their goods.
More than 140,000 people have been evacuated as wildfires continue to rage across western Europe. A massive fire near the Spanish capital of Madrid continues to go uncontained despite firefighter efforts, and the blaze is inching closer to the city as evacuations ramp up. Large wildfires have also been reported in the southwestern French region of Gironde, forcing tens of thousands of evacuations, alongside several smaller fires across northern Italy. Furthermore, temperatures are not expected to sink anytime soon, staying in the high 90s and low 100s (35-41°C) across much of the region.
Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): The average life expectancy of a toucan is an impressive 20 years.
Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Knowledge is the foundation of wisdom. (Stephen Charnock)
Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Itinerant (adj, eye-TIN-uh-runt) - Itinerant describes someone who travels from place to place or only stays in a place for a short amount of time. It is used especially for people who travel in a circuit for their profession.
In a Sentence: Being an itinerant musician gave her the opportunity to see the wonders of the world with her own eyes.
Image: Flickr / Public Domain
Enjoyed this breakdown? Subscribe to help support our publication!