U.S. announces deals to establish civilian nuclear program in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia's Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman in June 2026. Photo by Olga MALTSEVA/AFP via Getty Images

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The United States on Wednesday announced a landmark deal with Saudi Arabia that would establish a civilian nuclear program in the Gulf country, with Washington insisting the agreement includes safeguards against proliferation.

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The move comes as the United States under President Donald Trump fights a war with Iran that began in large part over concerns with Tehran’s nuclear program — an issue that remains a key point of contention during now-stalled peace talks.

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Two agreements — one on “peaceful nuclear cooperation” and another on “bilateral safeguards” — were signed by U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and his Saudi counterpart Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, the U.S. Energy Department said.

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The text of the deals were not immediately made public.

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“Together, these two agreements lay the legal foundation for a decades-long, multi-billion-dollar partnership that advances several priority economic and strategic objectives, including nuclear nonproliferation,” the department said in a statement.

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A provision in the deal would potentially see U.S. companies build a uranium enrichment facility in Saudi Arabia, the Wall Street Journal reported. The Energy Department statement made no mention of such a provision and did not offer comment when asked about it by AFP.

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The deal will be submitted to Congress for review, but the Republican-controlled legislature is unlikely to block its implementation.

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U.S. lawmakers from both parties and Israeli officials have previously voiced opposition to such a project over fears Saudi Arabia could eventually convert it to develop nuclear weapons.

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Saudi Arabia, like Tehran, has long been adamant about its right to pursue a civilian nuclear program. Last year it signed a mutual defence pact with nuclear-armed Pakistan.

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Washington has sought in recent years to include any deal concerning a nuclear agreement in a wider strategic play that would see Saudi Arabia normalize ties with Israel, along with the signing of a U.S.-Saudi defence pact.

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The United States signed a nuclear agreement with the kingdom’s neighbour the United Arab Emirates in 2009, although the country does not enrich its own uranium.

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A drone struck a generator in May near the UAE’s Barakah nuclear plant, the Arab world’s only such facility, causing a fire.

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Policymakers have long feared that if Iran produced a nuclear weapon, the move would set off an arms race across the Gulf.

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U.S. Energy Secretary Wright dismissed concerns about proliferation, insisting the deal was in Washington’s economic and strategic interest.

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“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,” he said in a statement.