Trump approves 30-year Saudi Arabia nuclear deal allowing uranium enrichment
President Trump has approved a nuclear cooperation pact with Saudi Arabia that would let the kingdom enrich uranium on its own soil, Reuters and the Associated Press report. The 30-year deal excludes safeguards the US has said prevent weapons use and goes to Congress within days.
President Trump has approved a nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia, according to two sources cited by Reuters and confirmed separately by the Associated Press. The pact, a so-called 123 Agreement, was signed in preliminary form in Riyadh last year by US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman. It runs for thirty years and, unlike the UAE's earlier Barakah nuclear deal, does not rule out uranium enrichment on Saudi soil. The agreement also excludes the IAEA's Additional Protocol, an oversight tool nonproliferation experts consider essential, and does not include safeguards the US has previously required to prevent nuclear materials from being diverted into weapons programs. The Wall Street Journal reports the deal is valued in the tens of billions of dollars, with US firms positioned as the main contractors. The administration plans to submit the pact to Congress in the coming days, where it may face opposition from lawmakers concerned about proliferation risks. Source: Reuters, AP, Wall Street Journal (via The Quint).