The Trump administration's nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia reversed a years-long stance toward a key Middle East ally. Past US presidents insisted that Saudi Arabia normalise relations with Israel in exchange for receiving American nuclear technology for civilian energy programmes. In his second term Trump has focused primarily on strengthening America's economic influence to compete with China and other rivals. Washington at this point is recognising that," said Yusuf Can, a Middle East expert at consulting firm Amena Strategies. With this nuclear deal, he added, "the US is basically saying you don't have to work with China.