The United States and Saudi Arabia have signed a landmark deal that will allow the Gulf kingdom to develop a civilian nuclear programme.
The deal is described as a “peaceful nuclear co-operation agreement” that will provide “great access for American companies in the Saudi nuclear energy program” by the US energy department.
Text from the deal has not been made public, but US media report that it could allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium in the future, which can be used as fuel for power plants, but also to make nuclear bombs.
Experts say that would mark a first for the US and could run the risk of future nuclear proliferation in an already unstable region.
The US Department of Energy said a “bilateral safeguards agreement” had been signed along with the co-operation deal.
“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 statement said.
The Saudi government also released a statement saying the deal “represents an extension of existing co-operation between the two countries in the energy sector,” noting that it comes after the Saudi leader visited Washington last November.
The nuclear issue has been at the centre of the months-long US-Israeli conflict with Iran. The two nations say one of the reasons they attacked Iran in February was to prevent the country from ever developing a nuclear weapon, something that Tehran denies planning to do.
Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, told CBS News in 2018 that his own nation was not planning to acquire a nuclear weapon, but that “without a doubt if Iran developed a nuclear bomb, we will follow suit as soon as possible.”
Wednesday’s announcement came as fighting escalates between the US and Iran. Saudi Arabia, a longtime US ally, hosts several US bases that have been targeted by Iranian attacks.
Specific details of the nuclear deal have not been given, but earlier media reports suggested that, after undertaking a joint study with the US, Saudi Arabia may be allowed to enrich uranium on its soil to produce fuel at a US-built enrichment facility, instead of relying on imported fuel.
This could be worth billions of dollars to the US, whose companies could be involved in building a facility to produce enriched uranium.
“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,” US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said.
The agreement will now be sent to the US Congress for review. Some lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle are expected to oppose the deal, though Trump’s Republican Party controls both chambers and opponents of the deal do not appear to have the votes needed to block it.
The deal marks a major victory for Saudi Arabia, and it has the potential to reshape power dynamics in the Middle East, though not in the immediate future. According to US media reports, Washington had previously held out on the proviso that Saudi Arabia recognises Israel, but that demand appears to have now been dropped. Saudi Arabia has been lobbying for such a deal for years, and one possible reason for this agreement happening now is that Russia and China have reportedly been in discussions to strike a similar deal and the US might not have wanted to miss out.
