Trump Administration Greenlights Saudi Uranium Enrichment Deal Without IAEA Safeguards
Updated
Updated · Middle East Eye · Jul 20
Trump Administration Greenlights Saudi Uranium Enrichment Deal Without IAEA Safeguards
3 articles · Updated · Middle East Eye · Jul 20
Summary
CNN reported the Trump administration approved a draft civil nuclear deal letting Saudi Arabia enrich uranium without the IAEA Additional Protocol, though President Donald Trump still has not signed it.
October 2025 negotiations are complete, but the required 123 agreement and safeguards documents have not been sent to Congress, where officials expect bipartisan resistance and a possible Democratic takeover after November.
The draft leaves room for enrichment and reprocessing instead of the stricter terms Washington imposed on the UAE, which barred both and accepted the Additional Protocol in 2009.
Riyadh has openly pressed for enrichment—Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said last year the kingdom would enrich and sell yellowcake—making the pact more strategically consequential than a separate F-35 sale under discussion.
The talks also fit a wider US-Saudi security bargain: Washington has explored a nuclear umbrella for the kingdom as Saudi Arabia deepened defense ties with Pakistan, estimated to hold about 170 nuclear warheads.
Is the new US-Saudi nuclear deal dismantling decades of global nonproliferation efforts?
Will allowing Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium deter Iran or ignite a regional arms race?
US-Saudi Nuclear Deal 2026: Congressional Showdown Over Nonproliferation Standards and Middle East Arms Race Risks
Overview
The proposed nuclear cooperation agreement between the United States and Saudi Arabia, initiated during the Trump administration, is under intense debate and awaits a crucial congressional review. The decision hinges on Congress, adherence to nonproliferation standards, and international norms. The process starts with the State Department submitting a Nuclear Proliferation Assessment Statement to Congress, outlining how the deal meets nonproliferation criteria. If the President finds that strict criteria would harm U.S. objectives or defense, the agreement can be exempted, but this requires special congressional approval. The outcome will shape U.S. policy, regional security, and the global nonproliferation regime.