US and Saudi Arabia sign civilian nuclear cooperation agreement

The United States and Saudi Arabia have signed a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement that allows the kingdom to build nuclear reactors using American technology and to enrich its own uranium. The pact was signed by US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, alongside a separate bilateral safeguards agreement. The announcement was made on Wednesday in Washington and marks the conclusion of negotiations that stretched over several years, beginning during Donald Trump's first term and continuing under the Biden administration.

The US Department of Energy described the agreement as "historic," saying it lays the legal foundation for a decades-long, multi-billion-dollar partnership between the two countries. American companies are expected to gain priority access to reactor construction and fuel supply within Saudi Arabia's nuclear program. According to several reports, the deal is expected to last around 30 years and is viewed as economically significant for the US nuclear industry, which anticipates new contracts and jobs as a result.

In substance, the agreement permits Saudi Arabia not only to build reactors but also to enrich uranium domestically — a provision that has drawn particular attention in coverage of the deal. While the Trump administration insists the pact will "reinforce global nonproliferation standards," critics point out that it omits the International Atomic Energy Agency's Additional Protocol, which allows for short-notice, unannounced inspections and is widely regarded as a key nonproliferation safeguard. The agreement also appears to permit the reprocessing of nuclear fuel, another sensitive area that previous US administrations have generally sought to restrict more tightly in comparable deals.

For comparison, observers point to the 2009 nuclear agreement between the US and the United Arab Emirates, under which the UAE committed not to enrich its own uranium. That Saudi Arabia now appears to be operating under different terms is seen by nonproliferation experts as a departure from that earlier standard. Reports cite nonproliferation expert John Wolfsthal, among others, warning of potential proliferation risks in the region.

The timing of the agreement is notable: the United States is currently engaged in a conflict with Iran that centers largely on Tehran's nuclear program and its uranium enrichment activities. Talks with Iran on this issue are reported to have stalled. That an agreement permitting another regional power to enrich uranium was signed during this period raises, according to several observers, additional questions about the consistency of US nonproliferation policy.

Procedurally, the agreement must now be reviewed by the US Congress. Lawmakers have 90 legislative session days during which they may raise objections before the pact automatically takes effect. Whether, and to what extent, the missing inspection provisions will spark significant debate in Congress remains unclear at this stage. No specific plans for opposition from individual lawmakers have been reported so far.

Beyond its nuclear dimension, the deal is also being placed within a broader strategic context. Washington has linked the agreement to a wider regional agenda that includes the possibility of normalized relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, as well as a separate defense agreement. This connection has been emphasized particularly in regional coverage, while receiving less attention in other reporting.

Official Saudi statements detailing the specifics of the agreement have so far been quoted only sparingly in international coverage. Likewise, no full account has yet emerged of what US officials mean when they refer to "strong safeguards" built into the deal. This question is likely to remain at the center of public debate in the coming weeks, particularly as Congress conducts its review.