2 min readUpdated: Jul 23, 2026 08:39 AM IST
The US and Saudi Arabia have signed a deal reportedly allowing the Gulf kingdom to develop a civilian nuclear programme.
Described as a “peaceful nuclear co-operation agreement”, the deal will provide “great access for American companies in the Saudi nuclear energy programme”, the US energy department said.
Even though the deal text was not made public, The Wall Street Journal reported that a key part of it would involve American firms building a uranium enrichment plant in Saudi Arabia if a joint review by Washington and Riyadh concludes the move is justified. AP reported the same, noting the enrichment facility would follow a joint US-Saudi study.
According to experts, the deal would mark a first for the US and hold the risk of future nuclear proliferation in an already unstable region.
The US Department of Energy stated that along with the said deal, a “bilateral safeguards agreement” was also signed. “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 read.
The nuclear agreement is set to run for 30 years and is estimated to be worth tens of billions of dollars, the Journal reported.
According to Trump administration officials, the deal would give the US a role in monitoring Saudi Arabia’s nuclear activities, which could help stop the programme being used to develop weapons, according to the Journal.
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