Israel’s refusal to finalize a $35 billion natural gas agreement with Egypt has led to the cancellation of a planned visit by U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen said Thursday.

According to a statement from Cohen’s office, Washington had been applying “significant pressure” on Israeli officials to approve the deal. However, Cohen said he would not move forward “until Israeli interests are safeguarded and a fair domestic price is ensured.”

The statement noted that Wright’s planned trip to Israel was canceled following Cohen’s decision. The U.S. Energy Department did not immediately comment, and American officials in Israel declined to respond. Egypt’s Foreign Ministry also did not issue a statement.

The deal, reportedly the largest gas export agreement in Israel’s history, would involve sending natural gas from Israel’s Leviathan field to Egypt. The Leviathan field, operated by U.S. energy company Chevron, lies about 130 kilometers (80 miles) off Israel’s northern coast in the Mediterranean Sea.

Cohen’s decision effectively halts progress on the project and risks straining Israel’s relations with both the United States and Egypt — two key mediators of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire that has paused more than two years of hostilities.

His office added that efforts are continuing to resolve “political issues between Israel and Egypt,” though it provided no further details.