US and Saudi Arabia Sign Historic Civil Nuclear Program Agreement

Washington and Riyadh have signed a historic agreement expected to pave the way for Saudi Arabia to develop a nuclear program for civilian purposes.

The US Department of Energy described the document as a “peaceful nuclear cooperation agreement.” According to the department, it will provide US companies with “excellent access to Saudi Arabia’s nuclear energy program.”

The contents of the agreement have not been made public. However, previous reports by US media have raised the possibility that Saudi Arabia could eventually be authorized to enrich uranium. The material can serve as fuel for nuclear power plants, but it can also be used to produce nuclear bombs.

According to those reports, following a joint study with the US, Riyadh could receive permission to enrich uranium within Saudi territory. The fuel would be produced at a US-built enrichment facility, rather than the kingdom continuing to rely on imports.

Such a project could be worth billions of dollars to the US, as American companies could be involved in building the facility that would produce enriched uranium. The material could be used as fuel for power plants, but also to create nuclear weapons.

Experts warn that such a decision would be a first for the United States and could pose a future nuclear proliferation risk in a region already marked by instability.

Alongside the cooperation agreement, the US Department of Energy announced that the parties had also signed a “bilateral safeguards agreement.”

The department said in its statement that, taken together, the two agreements establish the legal foundation for a multibillion-dollar partnership spanning several decades. The cooperation aims to advance several key economic and strategic objectives, including nuclear nonproliferation.

The Saudi government also responded in a statement, presenting the agreement as an expansion of the existing cooperation between the two countries in the energy sector. Riyadh also stressed that the development follows the Saudi leader’s visit to Washington last November.

The announcement came as fighting between the US and Iran continues to escalate. Saudi Arabia, a longtime ally of Washington, hosts several US bases that have been targeted by Iranian attacks.

The agreement was also announced two days after the Houthis, Iran’s allies in Yemen, declared a “naval blockade” against the Saudi kingdom.