The United States has reached a civilian nuclear cooperation deal with Saudi Arabia. US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman signed a peaceful nuclear cooperation agreement and a separate bilateral safeguards deal. The agreement could enable the kingdom to enrich its own uranium for nuclear reactions and allows Saudi Arabia to build nuclear reactors using American technology.
This multi-billion-dollar partnership is expected to last 30 years and provide American companies with priority access to the program. According to the US Department of Energy, the deal lays the legal foundation for strategic objectives including nuclear nonproliferation and the creation of jobs in the US. The agreement will be submitted to Congress for review under the Atomic Energy Act.
However, the deal has been thrown into turmoil after President Donald Trump stated that the agreement is totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords and normalizing relations with Israel. Saudi Arabia has long resisted this move, insisting that normalization requires a clear pathway toward Palestinian statehood, a prospect rejected by Israel’s current government.
The potential for uranium enrichment has alarmed nuclear nonproliferation experts, US lawmakers, and Israeli officials, who fear the kingdom could use a civilian nuclear project to develop nuclear weapons. These concerns are heightened by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's previous assertions that Saudi Arabia would seek a nuclear weapon if Iran developed one. Israeli politicians have warned the deal could trigger a crazy arms race in the Middle East.