US and Saudi Arabia announce nuclear cooperation deal

Trump administration says ‘historic’ agreement will ‘reinforce global nonproliferation standards’ and create jobs in US.

The United States and Saudi Arabia have reached a civilian nuclear cooperation deal, the administration of President Donald Trump announced, as Washington and Riyadh push to deepen their ties.

The US Department of Energy hailed the agreement as “historic” on Wednesday, saying that American companies will provide nuclear technology to the kingdom.

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The deal consists of an accord under Section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, known as a 123 agreement, “alongside an accompanying bilateral safeguards agreement”, the department said.

“These agreements reflect our two nations’ shared commitment to strengthening US-Saudi commercial relations, delivering prosperity at home and security to our allies abroad,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in a statement.

“Rest assured, 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.”

Some US media reports have suggested that the deal will allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium domestically rather than import nuclear fuel from the US.

The Department of Energy’s statement did not provide details on enrichment. If the reports are confirmed, the deal is likely to face opposition in Washington.

‘Reinforce global standards’

The statement called the agreement a “decades-long, multi-billion-dollar partnership” and said it will now be submitted to Congress for review.

Trump has gone to war with Iran to prevent the country from enriching uranium. The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) does not prohibit uranium enrichment – a process of isolating and garnering the most radioactive variant, or isotope, of the uranium atom.

Highly enriched uranium can be used to produce nuclear weapons.

Israel is the only country in the region that is widely believed to possess a nuclear arsenal.

The Trump administration said the cooperation deal with Saudi Arabia will create jobs in the US, “reinforce global nonproliferation standards”, and strengthen the strategic partnership with Riyadh.

The announcement comes as the war between the US and Iran continues to rage, with Trump insisting that the goal of the conflict is to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, which Tehran denies seeking.

The US and Israel bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities last year. During the ongoing hostilities, Iran has launched missiles and drones against bases hosting US troops in the region, as well as some energy facilities in the Gulf.