Trump Tentatively Agrees to Let Saudi Arabia Enrich Uranium Without Standard Safeguards
The draft would let Saudi Arabia enrich uranium under U.S. rules and has not yet been sent to Congress for review.
- President Donald Trump has not signed the draft US-Saudi 123 agreement and bilateral safeguards pact despite negotiations concluding in October 2025, leaving the nuclear accord in limbo awaiting his signature.
- Four sources familiar with the matter attribute the delay to the ongoing war with Iran and concerns that Congress could block the deal through a bipartisan disapproval resolution once formally submitted.
- Unlike the 2009 UAE deal, which set a 'gold standard' for nuclear cooperation, the draft does not require Saudi Arabia to adopt the IAEA's Additional Protocol, instead relying on a bilateral safeguards arrangement.
- Nuclear experts warn the arrangement could provide Saudi Arabia a path to weapons absent stringent safeguards. Kelsey Davenport of the Arms Control Association noted enrichment and reprocessing are the two main pathways to weapons-grade material.
- Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has previously threatened to build nuclear weapons should Iran acquire the bomb, underscoring the regional rivalry that shapes the administration's calculus on finalizing the Riyadh nuclear cooperation deal.
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36 Articles
US greenlights Saudi nuclear enrichment without safeguards: Report
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Uranium enrichment deal for Saudi awaiting Trump signature
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The Trump administration tentatively agreed to allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium without implementing international safeguards aimed at preventing...
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The deal awaiting presidential signature would give Riyadh access to enrichment similar to Iran’s The US has agreed to allow Saudi Arabia to have its own nuclear program and enrich uranium, CNN has reported, citing draft documents and sources familiar with the negotiations. The draft deal has been negotiated and is awaiting President Donald Trump’s...
Why Trump’s Saudi Arabia nuclear deal is raising proliferation concerns
The deal reportedly includes a special arrangement letting Saudi Arabia enrich uranium and possibly reprocess plutonium domestically something a source called unprecedented for this type of agreement.
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