US, SAUDI ARABIA STRIKE CIVILIAN NUCLEAR DEAL AMID PROLIFERATION CONCERNS

The United States and Saudi Arabia have announced a major agreement to establish a civilian nuclear programme in the kingdom, a move expected to strengthen bilateral ties but one that has also raised concerns about nuclear proliferation in the Middle East.

The agreement, unveiled on Wednesday, comes as Washington remains engaged in conflict with Iran, whose nuclear programme continues to be a central issue in stalled diplomatic efforts.

The deal is expected to generate billions of dollars for American companies while giving Saudi Arabia access to advanced nuclear technology without requiring the kingdom to normalise diplomatic relations with Israel.

In recent years, the US had linked any defence or nuclear cooperation with Saudi Arabia to a possible normalisation agreement with Israel.

Although details of the agreement have not yet been made public, critics argue that it could encourage a regional nuclear arms race.

According to the Wall Street Journal, one provision may allow American firms to construct a uranium enrichment facility in Saudi Arabia. However, the US Department of Energy neither confirmed the report nor commented on the alleged provision when contacted by AFP.

Allison Minor, Director of the Project for Middle East Integration at the Atlantic Council, said the agreement sends a strong signal to Iran as negotiations remain deadlocked while reassuring a key US ally.

“By keeping the door open for uranium enrichment inside Saudi Arabia, the nuclear deal sends a powerful message to Tehran,” she said.

The agreement will now be submitted to the US Congress for review, although it is not expected to face significant opposition in the Republican-controlled legislature.

Some American lawmakers from both political parties, as well as Israeli officials, have previously expressed concern that Saudi Arabia could eventually use enrichment technology to develop nuclear weapons.

Reacting to the announcement, US Senator Bernie Sanders criticised the agreement in a post on X.

“Trump claims his war on Iran is about stopping an authoritarian country from enriching nuclear fuel,” Sanders wrote.

“Now he’s letting his best friends in Saudi Arabia — one of the most brutal dictatorships in the world — do exactly that. This is absurd.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the deal, stressing that strict safeguards would prevent any civilian nuclear programme from being converted into a weapons project.

“Any agreement that we’re going to make with any country in the world on civil nuclear energy is going to be one that will have safeguards in place to ensure that it can’t be turned into a weapons programme,” Rubio said.

Saudi Arabia has consistently maintained that it has the right to develop a peaceful nuclear programme. The kingdom also signed a mutual defence pact with nuclear-armed Pakistan last year.

The United States previously signed a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with the United Arab Emirates in 2009. Unlike the proposed Saudi arrangement, the UAE does not enrich its own uranium.

Concerns over regional security have persisted, particularly after a drone struck a generator near the UAE’s Barakah nuclear power plant in May, causing a fire at the Arab world’s only operational nuclear facility.

US policymakers have long warned that if Iran were to acquire a nuclear weapon, other Gulf states might seek similar capabilities.

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright dismissed fears that the new agreement could contribute to nuclear proliferation, saying it serves both America’s economic and strategic interests.

“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,” he said.

The United States currently maintains civilian nuclear cooperation agreements with more than 50 countries.

While experts acknowledged that negotiations for the deal had been ongoing for some time, some remained cautious about permitting uranium enrichment within Saudi Arabia.

Matthew Kroenig of the Atlantic Council warned before the agreement was announced that allowing enrichment capability would be a mistake.

“It would be a mistake to allow Saudi Arabia the capability for enrichment,” he said.

“Washington is right to strengthen its relationship with Riyadh, but it should not do so at the expense of its effective nuclear weapons nonproliferation standards.”

Paul Dickman, Chairman of the American Nuclear Society’s External Affairs Committee, said he did not believe the agreement would create “additional proliferation challenges” but emphasised that transparency would be essential.

“I would like to see within the language of this agreement how that transparency will be measured,” he said.

Jennifer T. Gordon, Director of the Atlantic Council’s Nuclear Energy Policy Initiative, described the agreement as a strategic victory for Washington over Moscow and Beijing.

“Saudi Arabia has made it clear that it will purchase nuclear energy technologies… the only question has been whether the kingdom would choose to work with the US and its allies, or whether it would turn to Russia or China,” she said.