On Wednesday, the United States and Saudi Arabia signed a new deal that might give the kingdom the authority to enrich uranium for its civilian nuclear program.
The nuclear cooperation deal, dubbed a "123 agreement," was formally signed by Saudi Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman and U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright along with what the Trump administration referred to as a "bilateral safeguards agreement."
The framework paves the way for the construction of a uranium enrichment facility in Saudi Arabia following a joint U.S.-Saudi study, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity and was not authorized to comment publicly. The U.S. administration has not disclosed many details of the agreement.

"These agreements reflect our two nations' shared commitment to strengthening U.S.-Saudi commercial relations, delivering prosperity at home and security to our allies abroad," Wright said in a statement. "Rest assured, these agreements uphold the highest standards of nuclear safety and nonproliferation, while relying on the world's best nuclear technology and scientists, designed right here in the United States."
Earlier, when reporters questioned Secretary of State Marco Rubio about the possibility that assisting the Saudis in realizing their long-standing ambition to enrich their own uranium could spark new rounds of nuclear proliferation and competition in a volatile region, Rubio attempted to quell growing criticism of the decision.Rubio stated, "The U.S. is not going to reach any agreement with any country in the world that leads to the risk of proliferation," on Wednesday while visiting the Philippines.
According to a second individual familiar with the decision, the agreement excludes the International Atomic Energy Agency's Additional Protocol, which would provide additional monitoring, inspections, and verification.
The agreement, which involves US companies in the program's development, is anticipated to span 30 years. It will be sent to Congress for approval, where it may encounter resistance, according to a statement from the Energy Department.According to the Energy Ministry of the oil-rich kingdom, the deal supports "efforts to diversify energy sources, advance cutting-edge technologies, and expand opportunities for cooperation and investment in ways that serve the mutual interests of the two friendly countries."
The disclosure coincides with the U.S. and Israel's assault on Iran, which was started in part to destroy Tehran's capacity to produce nuclear weapons. Iran has maintained the peaceful nature of its nuclear enrichment program.
Nuclear specialist Alexander Bollfrass of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London referred to the agreement as "a revolutionary new approach" to nuclear nonproliferation strategy prior to its introduction."The revolutionary aspect of this agreement is that the United States is not asking Saudi Arabia to abide by the highest possible safeguards, internationally monitored safeguards that are standard and are available today, but instead is willing to at least theoretically transfer highly sensitive technology without the same level of oversight that one would expect," Bollfrass said.
Both former President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump attempted to negotiate a nuclear agreement with the kingdom to exchange American technology during their initial terms in office.
Saudi Arabia's assertive de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has hinted that he would pursue a weapons program if Tehran acquires an atomic weapon, but nonproliferation specialists caution that any spinning centrifuges within the kingdom could pave the way for such a program.Shortly before Trump's visit, Wright visited Saudi Arabia last year and spoke with his Saudi counterpart on expanding the kingdom's commercial nuclear power sector. Several attempts for comment have not received a response from the U.S. Department of Energy.
Following Israel's attack on Qatar that targeted Hamas officials, Saudi Arabia and nuclear-armed Pakistan already inked a mutual defense deal. The defense minister of Pakistan then declared that his country's nuclear program "will be made available" to Saudi Arabia if necessary. This was interpreted as a warning to Israel, which has long been thought to be the only nuclear-armed state in the Middle East.Some MPs are reluctant to grant Saudis the freedom to enrich themselves.
A country needs learn other techniques, such as the use of synchronized high explosives, in addition to enrichment, in order to develop a nuclear weapon.

Saudi Arabia's neighbor, the United Arab Emirates, inked a 123 agreement with the United States to construct a nuclear power facility in Barakah with help from South Korea. However, the UAE did not pursue enrichment, which nonproliferation specialists have argued is the "gold standard" for countries pursuing atomic power.
In 2018, Rubio, a Republican senator from Florida, supported a bipartisan legislation that mandated that any 123 agreement with Saudi Arabia be approved by Congress. A group of Democratic lawmakers revived the bill in March, but it hasn't been signed into law.Unless joint resolutions of disapproval are passed by veto-proof majorities of Congress, 123 agreements that permit U.S. corporations to export nuclear technology overseas usually take effect.
The ability to enrich uranium could give Saudi Arabia "a potent source of leverage to extract future concessions from Washington, including new security guarantees, by threatening to weaponize its program unless the United States promises enhanced military protection," according to Rosemary Kelanic, Middle East director at the Washington think tank Defense Priorities.
The anticipated accord may benefit US companies
The U.S. nuclear firm Westinghouse, which produces the massive light-water reactors Saudi Arabia wants, is expected to profit from the transaction, according to California Democrat Representative Brad Sherman.Last month, the Trump administration announced that it is lending $17.5 billion to accelerate the construction of ten new, huge nuclear reactors that Westinghouse has planned to fulfill the rapidly increasing demand for electricity from massive data centers. The proposed Saudi agreement may employ Westinghouse's AP1000 design for the new reactors.
"Bombing Iran because they insist upon enriching and reprocessing" nuclear material, according to Sherman.
Sherman stated during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Wednesday that it appears that U.S. officials "are entering into an agreement with Saudi Arabia, giving them the green light to reprocess and to enrich, the only difference I see here is that Westinghouse stands to make an awful lot of money on this deal, whereas the Iranians were not enriching American companies."