The Trump administration is set to announce and sign a new civil nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia Wednesday that could allow the kingdom to begin enriching its own fuel for reactors, according to reports.
The deal has already been approved by President Trump, according to several reports citing unnamed U.S. officials. It could be signed publicly as early as Wednesday by Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman.
The agreement would reportedly last as long as 30 years. It would allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium or reprocess plutonium domestically after a joint U.S.-Saudi study of the economic implications of such a program.
If accurate, the terms of the agreement would be a major departure from precedent. Previous U.S. administrations have explicitly restricted the kingdom’s domestic nuclear program to prevent proliferation in the Middle East.
It is unclear if the agreement, named the “123 Agreement” after Section 123 of the 1954 Atomic Energy Act, requires Saudi Arabia to open enrichment sites to international inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency. Previous U.S. nuclear agreements with Gulf nations have outlined specific requirements for regular inspections.
The deal would also be a multibillion-dollar investment opportunity for the U.S. nuclear industry, according to reports, with American firms assisting in guidance and construction efforts.
The deal has reportedly been in the works since at least the Biden administration, when it would have been packaged in an agreement that would have seen Saudi Arabia diplomatically recognize Israel.
But the new deal does not include any guarantee that the kingdom will formally recognize Israel. That is despite the Trump administration’s focus on expanding the Abraham Accords, the accord from Mr. Trump’s first term that saw several Arab-led nations open diplomatic relations with Israel.
The agreement could face serious backlash from U.S. lawmakers and Israel, who have argued that allowing Saudi Arabia to build a domestic nuclear program would put them one step closer to acquiring nuclear weapons.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, currently on a diplomatic tour in the Philippines, told reporters Wednesday that Saudi Arabia would not get nukes under the accord.
“Suffice it to say, the U.S. is not going to reach any agreement with any country in the world that leads to the risk of proliferation,” he said.
Contact the author
Please read our comment policy before commenting.