Trump's doubtful nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia

President Trump always had this dream of uniting all the Arab countries behind Israel in opposition to Iran. It still remains a dream. Last week, as part of this scheme for the whole region, the president announced he had agreed to transfer nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia, but then made it clear it was dependent on the royal kingdom agreeing to full diplomatic relations with Israel. One imagines that for the Saudi government this could be a condition too far, certainly at this time. Saudi Arabia has always insisted that any diplomatic agreement with Israel would only be possible once there is a deal going ahead for a Palestinian state. Israel under Benjamin Netanyahu is opposed to a Palestinian state, and Israeli soldiers are still occupying more than half of Gaza where peace is as fragile as ever. The other challenge for Trump is that the war with Iran is showing no sign of ending. Indeed, in recent days, the violence has escalated with US strikes every night on Iranian military targets and reciprocal attacks by Iran against countries in the Gulf region. The Houthis in Yemen, financed and supported by Iran, have now also rejoined the fight and have targeted Saudi oil tankers transiting the Red Sea. The escalation in the war has driven up oil prices to $100 a barrel, raising new concerns about the cost of living in the US and around the world. The announcement about the transfer of nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia provoked immediate concerns that at some time in the future, the Saudis might try to produce a nuclear bomb if they can learn the process of enriching uranium. Trump has said an agreement for the transfer of technology would not allow any future move to acquire nuclear weapons. Nevertheless, the timing of the announcement is not helpful when the president keeps on repeating that Iran must never be allowed to have a nuclear bomb. The broader question is whether Trump’s vision of a united Middle East is either practical or feasible in the current circumstances. The president himself has blamed Israel for any hostility towards the Israeli government around the world, citing the military action taken against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon which have caused widescale deaths of civilians. It is difficult to see how an Arab country, such as Saudi Arabia, will contemplate lining up diplomatically with Israel while these attacks continue. The president started implementing his dream during his first term in office when Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates signed a deal to have full relations with Israel. It was called the Abraham Accords.Trump wants the Abraham Accords to embrace other Arab countries in his second term in office. But if the war in Iran and the Israeli action in Gaza and Lebanon continue, the chances of that happening are not hopeful.