Normalisation not discussed during months of Saudi-US nuclear negotiations, sources say Since November 2025, the US and Saudi Arabia have been hashing out a civilian nuclear agreement, but in dozens of exchanges between officials, Riyadh’s diplomatic recognition of Israel never once came up, one current and one former US official familiar with the talks told Middle East Eye. “Normalisation was never listed as a condition,” one of the sources told MEE. “Not once.
Washington DC [US], July 24 (ANI): US President Donald Trump on Thursday (US local time) reiterated his stance that Tehran cannot be allowed to have nuclear weapons and that Washington is doing 'extremely well' as the conflict continues between the two adversaries. He made the remarks while unveiling his Ratepayer Protection Pledge, at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) headquarters in Washington DC.
Normalisation not discussed during months of Saudi-US nuclear negotiations, sources say Submitted by Sean Mathews on Thu, 07/23/2026 - 20:17 A deal that Saudi Arabia welcomed as a testament to the kingdom's autonomy is now conditional, again, on Israel US President Donald Trump, left, greets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the White House's South Lawn in Washington, DC, on 18 November 2025 (Saul Loeb/AFP) Off Since November 2025, the US and Saudi Arabia have been hashing out a civilian nuclear agreement, but in dozens of exchanges between officials, Riyadh’s diplomatic recognition of Israel never once came up, one current and one former US official familiar with the talks told Middle East Eye. “Normalisation was never listed as a condition,” one of the sources told MEE. “Not once.
Saudi and UAE showcase public display of unity after months of strained relations Submitted by MEE staff on Thu, 07/23/2026 - 18:36 Despite very public rifts, officials from both countries put out simultaneous statements on social media highlighting their close relationship This handout picture shows Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bidding farewell to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, on 5 September 2025 (Abdullah al-Bedwawi/UAE Presidential Court/AFP) Off Senior Saudi Arabian and United Arab Emirates officials on Tuesday published simultaneous social media statements affirming their deep-rooted fraternal ties and “wise leadership”, a move that comes after months of tensions between the two Gulf monarchies. The X posts by Saudi Minister of Media Salman al-Dosary and chairman of the UAE National Media Authority Abdulla bin Mohamed Alhamed were both released at 7:00 pm Riyadh time. “The relationship between the Kingdom and the Emirates is a relationship between two peoples united by a shared history and heritage,” wrote Dosary.
Tehran [Iran], July 23 (ANI): Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei launched a scathing attack on the United States, accusing the American administration of intending to 'sacrifice whatever remains of international humanitarian law and the foundations of human ethics and civilisation to its insatiable appetite for war and slaughter'.
As the Montreux Convention comes under pressure and Hormuz grows more unstable, military power alone is proving unable to sustain order Two recent developments, one in the Black Sea and the other in the Persian Gulf, illustrate how rapidly the international order is unravelling.
Opinion: How Israel's dream of being the Middle East's trade hub is unravelling The India -Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) has died at its Israeli end. Gulf states and their allies are now racing to build rival lines. In June, the Saudi and Turkish transport ministers signed memoranda to revive the Ottoman-era Hejaz railway as a corridor connecting their nations via Jordan and Syria - routed deliberately around Israel.
IAEA says its awaiting US-Saudi request on nuclear deal verification The UN nuclear watchdog is aware of a US-Saudi plan to ask it to carry out verification work in relation to the nuclear cooperation deal they are discussing, but has yet to receive a request from them, it said on Thursday. "We look forward to receiving the request for such verification and to working with the U. S.
The Karim Khan saga: a timeline Submitted by Sondos Asem on Thu, 07/23/2026 - 14:09 How allegations against the ICC’s chief prosecutor became entangled with pressure over his pursuit of Israeli officials, culminating in a vote that could reshape the court Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan at the International Criminal Court in The Hague on 14 March 2025 (AFP/file photo) Off Member states of the International Criminal Court (ICC) are due to vote at the United Nations' headquarters in New York on Friday on whether to remove the court's chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, from office – a first in the court’s 24-year history. The vote caps a saga stretching back more than two years, spanning sexual misconduct allegations Khan has consistently denied, a UN-led investigation, a judicial panel that unanimously cleared him, and a bureau that chose to override that finding and press ahead regardless. The case has unfolded alongside a separate campaign of pressure on Khan and the court over his pursuit of war crimes warrants against Israeli and Hamas leaders, from a threat by Britain's then foreign secretary to defund the ICC, to sanctions imposed on Khan and dozens of ICC officials by the Trump administration, to the US secretary of state's public vow to "dismantle" the court.
President Donald Trump’s threat to strike Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain nuclear-linked facility has intensified hardline calls for Tehran to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and develop a nuclear weapon.
How Israel's dream of being the Middle East's trade hub is unravelling Submitted by Ahmed Alqarout on Wed, 07/22/2026 - 15:45 Gulf powers are working out new corridors that would bypass the need to engage with Tel Aviv A ship docks at the Emirati port of Jebel Ali on 18 June 2020 (Karim Sahib/AFP) On The India -Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) has died at its Israeli end. Gulf states and their allies are now racing to build rival lines. In June, the Saudi and Turkish transport ministers signed memoranda to revive the Ottoman-era Hejaz railway as a corridor connecting their nations via Jordan and Syria - routed deliberately around Israel.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, referring to efforts to mediate between Tehran and Washington for talks, said the United States’ irrational and hegemonic approach was met with Iran’s powerful response.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, referring to efforts to mediate between Tehran and Washington for talks, said the United States’ irrational and hegemonic approach was met with Iran’s powerful response.
Israel says Saudi Arabia joining Abraham Accords would be 'historic' The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Saudi Arabia's joining of Abraham Accords as a "historic leap forward. " "The joint American and Israeli military action against the genocidal regime in Teheran and Israel's crushing of Iran's terror axis have created the possibility to expand the circle of peace," the office said in a post on X. The Prime Minister’s Office: The joint American and Israeli military action against the genocidal regime in Teheran and Israel's crushing of Iran's terror axis have created the possibility to expand the circle of peace.
Trump backtracks on Saudi nuclear deal, demands Israel normalisation Submitted by MEE staff on Thu, 07/23/2026 - 13:21 Earlier this week Trump has reportedly approved a 30-year civil nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia Off US President Donald Trump appeared to backtrack on the Saudi nuclear deal on Thursday by making it conditional on Riyadh normalising ties with Israel. “The Civil Nuclear Deal (There will be no enrichment of material! )...
Trump says US-Saudi 'civil' nuclear deal conditional on joining Abraham Accords The American President Donald Trump announced that the US-Saudi "civil" nuclear deal is conditional on the Kingdom joining the Abraham Accords. “The Civil Nuclear Deal (There will be no enrichment of material! ) being made between the United States Department of Energy and Saudi Arabia, which pertains only to non-military use such as the ones that Iran and UAE (and others) already have, will be approved, but is totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Falih Kadhim al-Zaidi emphasized strengthening strategic relations and opening new horizons for bilateral cooperation.
France warned Iran of consequences on Thursday after Iranian security officers detained two French diplomats in Tehran for nearly four hours and allegedly beat one of them, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said, adding the diplomats had already returned home.
