White House denies WSJ report that ‘broad terms’ of Saudi deal have been reached

The White House flatly denies a Wall Street Journal report that it has reached broad terms of an agreement with Saudi Arabia that would see the kingdom normalize relations with Israel.

“There is no agreed to set of negotiations, there’s no there’s no agreed to framework to codify normalization or any of the other security considerations that we and our friends have in the region,” White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby says in response to a question on the matter during a phone briefing with reporters.

“The reporting has left some people with the impression that the discussions are farther along and closer to some sense of certainty than they actually are,” he adds.

Kirby clarifies that Biden has indeed directed his top aides “to see what was in the realm of the possible when it comes to pursuing Israel-Saudi normalization” and that “there is a commitment by the administration to keep talking and to keep trying to move things forward.”