Trump approves nuclear deal that could allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium, AP sources say
Listen to this article
Average 4 minutes
The audio version of this article was created by AI-based technology. It can be mispronounced. We are working with our partners to continuously review and improve the results.
US President Donald Trump has approved a deal with Saudi Arabia that could give the kingdom the ability to enrich uranium in its nuclear program, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The people, who were not authorized to comment publicly on the pending decision, said the deal was expected to be announced on Wednesday.
The agreement is expected to last for 30 years and is expected to involve American firms in developing the program. The agreement would allow the construction of a uranium enrichment facility in Saudi Arabia following joint US-Saudi research.
But the deal, which is expected to be submitted to the US Congress for review, could face difficulties among lawmakers who fear that helping the Saudis achieve their long-term ambition to enrich their uranium will open new rounds of nuclear proliferation and competition.
Saudi Arabia is a member state of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a Vienna-based organization that promotes peaceful nuclear activity but also inspects countries to ensure they do not have secret atomic weapons programs.
But the agreement is not expected to include the IAEA’s Additional Protocol, which would allow for more monitoring, inspection and verification, according to one of the people.
The expected announcement comes amid a war against Iran launched by the US and Israel, in part, to eliminate Tehran’s ability to develop a nuclear weapon. Iran has insisted that its nuclear enrichment program is peaceful.
The White House and Saudi officials in Riyadh did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the decision, which was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday lashed out at an ABC news reporter who questioned Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s connection to the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. During their meeting at the White House, Trump said that the prince had no knowledge of the assassination of Khashoggi, which took place inside the Saudi Arabian embassy in Istanbul, which contradicts American intelligence about bin Salman’s role in the assassination.
Both Trump and former president Joe Biden have tried to reach a nuclear deal with the regime to share American technology.
But non-proliferation experts warn any spinning centrifuges inside Saudi Arabia could open the door to a potential weapons program for the kingdom, something its de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has suggested he could pursue if Tehran gets an atomic bomb.
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright went to Saudi Arabia last year just before Trump visited the kingdom and discussed building the kingdom’s nuclear power plant with his Saudi counterpart. The US Department of Energy did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday night.
Already, Saudi Arabia and nuclear-armed Pakistan have signed a defense pact after Israel attacked Qatar targeting Hamas officials. Pakistan’s defense minister then said his nation’s nuclear program would be “available” to Saudi Arabia if needed – something seen as a warning to Israel, long believed to be the only Middle Eastern country with nuclear weapons.
Enrichment is not an automatic path to a nuclear weapon – a nation must also be capable of other measures, including the use of synchronized high explosives, for example. But it opens the door to the use of weapons, which has fueled Western concerns about Iran’s program.
The United Arab Emirates, a neighbor of Saudi Arabia, signed the so-called “123 agreement” with the US to build its nuclear power plant in Barakah with the help of South Korea. But the UAE has done so without seeking enrichment, something non-proliferation experts hold as the “gold standard” for nations seeking atomic energy.
