Reports: Trump OKs Saudi Arabia Nuclear Deal
By Micah Barkley
President Donald Trump approved an agreement with Saudi Arabia that could enable the country to enrich its own uranium for a civilian nuclear program, major news outlets reported Tuesday. Anonymous sources told the Wall Street Journal and the Associated Press that the 30-year deal directly involves U.S. firms in development and is expected to be worth tens of billions of dollars. The deal could be formally announced as early as Wednesday, the AP reported.
Congress was expected to review the deal, where it could face concerns from lawmakers who fear that helping the Saudis enrich uranium could trigger new rounds of nuclear problems. Though enriched uranium is used peacefully in many reactors, the technology can be applied to making weapons-grade material, according to The Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, a nonprofit organization in Washington.
The United States has 26 nuclear cooperation agreements, known as 123 Agreements, covering 50 countries, including China, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates, a neighbor of Saudi Arabia. Partner countries commit to nine nonproliferation criteria. Those criteria mandate obtaining U.S. consent before enriching or reprocessing nuclear material obtained or produced as a result of the agreement, according to The Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation.
Saudi Arabia has maintained that its nuclear ambitions are peaceful, yet some remain concerned. In 2018, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told 60 Minutes that Saudi Arabia would seek a nuclear weapon if Iran developed one.
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