Trump Approves Historic Nuclear Deal With Saudi Arabia

US President Donald Trump has approved a landmark civilian nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia that could pave the way for uranium enrichment inside the kingdom under US oversight, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing Trump administration officials.

The proposed 30 year agreement, valued at tens of billions of dollars, is designed to give American companies a leading role in developing Saudi Arabia’s civilian nuclear infrastructure while limiting the involvement of rival foreign suppliers. The deal is expected to be signed on Wednesday by US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman before being submitted to Congress for review.

A central feature of the agreement is a joint US Saudi study that will assess whether uranium enrichment in Saudi Arabia is commercially viable. If the study supports the proposal, American companies would build and operate the enrichment facility under a “black box” arrangement that would prevent the transfer of sensitive nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia.

According to US officials, the arrangement would allow Washington to oversee the program and help ensure that enriched uranium is used only for peaceful purposes. If the United States decides not to move forward with the enrichment project after the study, Saudi Arabia would be barred from pursuing enrichment independently or with another foreign partner for 10 years.

Supporters say the agreement could strengthen US Saudi relations, revive the American nuclear industry, and reduce Russia’s and China’s influence in the kingdom’s energy sector. Westinghouse Electric is expected to be among the biggest beneficiaries, with its AP1000 nuclear reactor likely to play a central role in the program.

The proposal, however, has drawn criticism from nonproliferation experts and lawmakers who argue that allowing uranium enrichment in Saudi Arabia could encourage other Middle Eastern countries to pursue similar capabilities, increasing the risk of nuclear proliferation.

Concerns have also been raised over Saudi Arabia’s refusal to adopt the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Additional Protocol, which allows for more extensive international inspections.

The agreement also marks a shift from the previous US administration’s approach. Former President Joe Biden had linked nuclear cooperation with Saudi Arabia to the kingdom’s normalization of relations with Israel. The Trump administration has removed that condition, even as Washington continues to pressure Iran to curb its nuclear program and surrender its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

US officials maintain that the proposed agreement includes strong safeguards to ensure the program remains exclusively civilian and complies with international nonproliferation standards. If Congress does not block the agreement, it could become one of the most significant US Saudi strategic partnerships in decades.