IRAN PERSPECTIVE

Tehran, July 24, 2026. Iranian media widely covered Donald Trump's statement published on Thursday on Truth Social, which makes the validation of the US-Saudi civil nuclear cooperation agreement conditional on Riyadh's accession to the Abraham Accords. The US President wrote that the "civil nuclear deal (no enrichment of material will be done!)" concluded between the Department of Energy and Saudi Arabia "only concerns civil uses, such as those that Iran and the United Arab Emirates (and others) already have," before specifying that its implementation remains "entirely conditioned on Saudi Arabia's accession to the highly respected and successful Abraham Accords."

Tehran's media, including Asr Iran and Tabnak, point out a contradiction that they deem revealing: by comparing the civil uses authorized in Riyadh to those "that Iran already has," Trump implicitly acknowledges the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program - the same one that the US has invoked for years to justify pressure and strikes against the Islamic Republic. Tabnak emphasizes that several countries, from South Africa to Brazil, including Germany and South Korea, enrich uranium for civil purposes without possessing atomic weapons, which, according to the media, raises questions about the equation posed by the US between enrichment and military danger.

The US Department of Energy confirmed on Wednesday the signing of a "123 agreement" and a bilateral guarantee agreement with Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, described by Secretary Chris Wright as a "multi-decade, multi-billion-dollar partnership," now subject to Congressional review. According to Khabar Online, this agreement does not mention normalization with Israel, unlike a similar project attempted under the Biden administration - the condition set by Trump appears to be a later addition, intended, according to Tabnak, to alleviate Israeli concerns expressed after the initial announcement.

This interpretation comes amid a tense regional climate, marked by US warnings of potential strikes against Iranian nuclear sites and the warning from Iran's joint military command against any attack, which, according to them, would expand the regional war.