US and Saudi Arabia reach nuclear power deal in Gulf kingdom

The US and Saudi Arabia have reached an agreement on civil nuclear power, a deal that allows the kingdom to build nuclear reactors using American technology and to enrich uranium.

A civil nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia has been in the works for years during both US President Donald Trump’s first administration and that of former president Joe Biden.

Unlike the Biden plan, this deal does not include a so-called Additional Protocol that allows the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency to carry out intrusive snap inspections. The deal would also allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium and reprocess nuclear waste, both of which are potential pathways to making a nuclear weapon.

The UAE agreed to forgo both of those when it signed a similar deal with the US in 2009.

The US Department of Energy released a statement on Thursday morning confirming what it described as the “historic” deal after reports by multiple US media outlets. “US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and Saudi Minister of Energy His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman signed a peaceful nuclear cooperation agreement, commonly known as a 123 agreement, alongside an accompanying bilateral safeguards agreement,” the statement said.

The deal between the US and Saudi Arabia is expected to last 30 years and involve US firms in developing the program, according to the earlier media reports. US President Trump’s administration said the agreement would provide billions of dollars for the US nuclear industry. But US politicians from both parties and Israeli officials had voiced opposition to a civilian nuclear project for Saudi Arabia over fears it could be converted to develop nuclear weapons eventually.