Trump Approves 30-Year Nuclear Cooperation Agreement With Saudi Arabia

The Scope of the US-Saudi Nuclear Pact

The agreement, formally approved by President Trump, establishes a framework for a civilian nuclear program in Saudi Arabia. The 30-year deal is estimated to be worth tens of billions of dollars and is designed to give American companies a central role in developing Saudi Arabia’s nuclear infrastructure while shutting out other foreign competitors. The agreement positions American corporations, predominantly Westinghouse, as the primary architects of Saudi Arabia’s next-generation energy grid.

The pact could allow for the building of a uranium enrichment facility in Saudi Arabia following a joint US-Saudi study. This development marks a significant shift in U.S. policy; the Biden administration had previously conditioned Saudi access to domestic uranium enrichment on the kingdom formally normalizing diplomatic relations with Israel—a condition Riyadh consistently rejected. President Trump has unilaterally delinked these two diplomatic tracks, prioritizing commercial and strategic alignment over regional normalization matrices.

For more on this story, see Trump Approves 30-Year Nuclear Deal Allowing Saudi Arabia to Enrich Uranium.

Nonproliferation Concerns and Congressional Review

The plan is expected to be submitted to Congress for review, where it could face opposition among lawmakers who fear a lack of monitoring safeguards to restrict Saudi Arabia’s uranium enrichment. The deal could face headwinds among lawmakers who fear that helping the Saudis fulfill their long-standing desire to enrich their own uranium would open new rounds of nuclear proliferation and competition. Furthermore, the approval raises immediate proliferation concerns in Washington while concurrently setting a complex precedent for emerging nuclear ambitions across the African continent, particularly as nations like Egypt, Kenya, and Nigeria accelerate their own atomic energy frameworks.

A central point of contention is the expected lack of enhanced monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The agreement is not expected to include the IAEA’s Additional Protocol, which would allow for more monitoring, inspections, and verification. While Saudi Arabia is a member state of the Vienna-based IAEA, which promotes peaceful nuclear work and inspects nations to ensure they don’t have clandestine atomic weapons programs, the absence of the Additional Protocol remains a point of concern for critics.

Regional Security and Strategic Context

The timing of the announcement is controversial as the US’s war with Iran is being fought in part to prevent Tehran from enriching uranium domestically and to make it near-impossible for Iran to build a nuclear weapon. Iran has repeatedly denied intentions to build a nuclear weapon, insisting its nuclear enrichment program is peaceful. Conversely, Saudi Arabia has in the past said it would need a nuclear weapon if Iran acquired one. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has suggested he could pursue a weapons program if Tehran obtains an atomic bomb.

This follows our earlier report, Trump Approves Saudi Nuclear Pact Lacking Standard Non-Proliferation Guards.

Throughout lengthy talks stretching over more than one administration, the US also feared that Riyadh would look elsewhere for nuclear technology if the US did not provide what it wanted. Energy Secretary Chris Wright traveled to Saudi Arabia last year shortly before Trump visited the kingdom. The White House and Saudi officials in Riyadh did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the decision, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.