Trump Gives Saudi Arabia Path to Enrich Uranium Under New Nuclear Pact

Donald Trump has approved a landmark civilian nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia that could eventually allow the kingdom to enrich uranium on its own soil. The proposed 30-year pact represents one of the most significant changes to U.S. nuclear cooperation policy in decades and could be officially announced within days. American companies would play a central role in developing Saudi Arabia’s civilian atomic industry.

Unlike previous U.S. nuclear agreements with key allies, the Saudi pact does not require Riyadh to permanently renounce uranium enrichment or spent fuel reprocessing. That omission abandons the long-standing «Gold Standard» of American non-proliferation policy, immediately drawing concern from lawmakers and arms-control experts.

Saudi Arabia will not immediately receive uranium enrichment technology under the agreement. Instead, a joint U.S.-Saudi economic study will determine whether domestic fuel production is commercially viable. If approved, the project could eventually include an American-built uranium enrichment facility operating inside the kingdom.

The agreement also creates major business opportunities for the U.S. nuclear industry. Companies such as Westinghouse are expected to lead construction of as many as 16 civilian nuclear reactors, allowing Washington to strengthen its commercial presence while limiting Chinese and Russian influence over Saudi Arabia’s expanding energy sector.

One of the deal’s most controversial aspects involves international monitoring. Saudi Arabia has declined to adopt the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Additional Protocol, meaning inspectors would not have authority to conduct surprise inspections at undeclared facilities. Instead, oversight would rely on more limited safeguards and bilateral monitoring arrangements.

Reports indicate the accord also includes two classified side letters that will remain confidential. According to the administration, the documents contain proprietary commercial information and sensitive national security details. Critics argue the lack of transparency makes it difficult to fully evaluate the safeguards governing the Saudi nuclear program.

The agreement arrives as the United States and Israel continue confronting Iran over its own uranium enrichment activities. Critics argue the policy sends conflicting signals by opposing Tehran’s enrichment program while simultaneously creating a legal pathway for Saudi Arabia to eventually develop similar capabilities under American supervision.

Those concerns have intensified because Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has previously stated that Saudi Arabia would seek a nuclear weapon if Iran successfully developed one. Arms-control specialists warn that providing the kingdom with domestic enrichment capabilities could accelerate a broader nuclear competition throughout the Middle East.

Another notable change involves Israel. Previous administrations generally tied advanced nuclear cooperation to Saudi recognition of Israel. This agreement reportedly removes that condition after Riyadh maintained it would not normalize relations without meaningful progress toward a Palestinian state, separating nuclear cooperation from regional diplomacy.

The agreement will proceed under Section 123 of the U.S. Atomic Energy Act. Once submitted, Congress will have a mandatory 90-day review period. However, blocking the pact would require a veto-proof two-thirds majority in both chambers, a threshold that many analysts believe will be extremely difficult to reach.

Supporters describe the agreement as a strategic victory that strengthens American influence and prevents China or Russia from dominating Saudi Arabia’s civilian nuclear sector. Opponents, however, warn it could weaken decades of U.S. non-proliferation policy, encourage other nations to seek similar concessions and fundamentally reshape the nuclear balance of power across the Middle East.