US and Saudi Arabia sign nuclear cooperation deal allowing domestic uranium enrichment

The United States and Saudi Arabia have signed a civil nuclear cooperation agreement that would allow the kingdom to enrich uranium domestically and use American technology to develop its nuclear programme, in a deal that stops short of the safeguards typically required to prevent weapons proliferation.

The agreement, known as a 123 Agreement, does not include the gold-standard non-proliferation provisions found in comparable accords, nor does it require Saudi Arabia to adopt the International Atomic Energy Agency's additional protocol, which grants inspectors broader powers to investigate undeclared nuclear activity. The deal must pass a 90-day congressional review before entering into force.

The Department of Energy described the pact as a peaceful nuclear cooperation agreement that will create a decades-long, multibillion-dollar partnership. However, President Donald Trump cast doubt on its future shortly after signing, saying the deal would be conditional on Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords to normalise ties with Israel — a step Riyadh has said it will not take without a credible roadmap to Palestinian statehood.