Trump Approves 30-Year Nuclear Pact With Saudi Arabia That Could Allow Uranium Enrichment

President Donald Trump has approved an agreement giving Saudi Arabia a civilian nuclear program, according to reporting relayed by Pakistan's Dawn, which cited two unnamed United States officials and said an announcement was expected on Wednesday. The deal, structured as what is known as a "123 Agreement," would run for 30 years. It would give American firms a central role in building the kingdom's nuclear infrastructure while excluding foreign competitors.

The terms have drawn scrutiny from arms-control specialists. According to accounts summarized by The Japan Times, the pact lacks safeguards that would bar the kingdom from enriching uranium on its own soil, and it does not require Riyadh to adopt the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) Additional Protocol, which grants inspectors expanded authority to verify that a program stays peaceful. Enrichment is a dual-use technology, because the same process that fuels reactors can, at higher levels, produce weapons material.

The move comes as Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Houthi movement resumed fighting, and it runs against Riyadh's long-stated position, voiced by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, that it would seek a bomb if Iran obtained one. The White House frames the deal as an economic and strategic partnership worth tens of billions of dollars. Trump is expected to seek congressional approval, where non-proliferation concerns are likely to be contested.