The United States and Saudi Arabia have announced a landmark agreement to establish a civilian nuclear programme in the kingdom, a move expected to strengthen bilateral ties while raising concerns over nuclear proliferation in the Middle East.
The agreement, unveiled on Wednesday, is projected to generate billions of dollars in business opportunities for American companies.
It also marks a significant diplomatic and strategic gain for Saudi Arabia, granting the kingdom access to advanced civilian nuclear technology without requiring the normalisation of relations with Israel.
However, the deal has sparked criticism from experts and observers who warn that it could eventually enable uranium enrichment capabilities, increasing the risk of a regional nuclear arms race.
The announcement comes as the United States remains engaged in conflict with Iran, with Tehran’s nuclear ambitions continuing to be a major source of tension despite ongoing but stalled diplomatic efforts aimed at reviving negotiations.
Saudi Arabia, a longstanding regional rival of Iran, is expected to use the programme for civilian energy purposes, though concerns remain over the potential long-term implications for regional security.
Washington had sought in recent years to condition any nuclear agreement and defence pact on normalisation with Israel.
Critics have insisted the deal, the text of which was not immediately made public could precipitate a nuclear race in a region already battered by war.
One provision would potentially see US companies build a uranium enrichment facility in Saudi Arabia, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The US Energy Department made no mention of such a provision and did not offer comment when asked about it by AFP.
For Allison Minor, the director of the Project for Middle East Integration at the Atlantic Council, Washington is sending a warning to Tehran as negotiations stall, while rewarding a major ally that has grown wary of US security assurances.
“By keeping the door open for uranium enrichment inside Saudi Arabia, the nuclear deal sends a powerful message to Tehran,” she said.
The deal will be submitted to Congress for review, but the Republican-controlled legislature is unlikely to block its implementation.
US lawmakers from both parties and Israeli officials have previously voiced opposition to such a project over fears Saudi Arabia could eventually convert it to develop nuclear weapons.
“Trump claims his war on Iran is about stopping an authoritarian country from enriching nuclear fuel,” left-wing US Senator Bernie Sanders wrote on X.
“Now he’s letting his best friends in Saudi Arabia one of the most brutal dictatorships in the world do exactly that. This is absurd.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that “any agreement that we’re going to make with any country in the world on civil nuclear energy is going to be one that will have safeguards in place to ensure that it can’t be turned into a weapons programme”.
Riyadh, like Tehran, has long been adamant about its right to pursue a civilian nuclear programme. Last year it signed a mutual defence pact with nuclear-armed Pakistan.
Proliferation Concerns
The US signed a nuclear agreement with the neighbouring United Arab Emirates in 2009, although that country does not enrich its own uranium.
A drone struck a generator in May near the UAE’s Barakah nuclear plant, the Arab world’s only such facility, causing a fire.
Policymakers have long feared that if Iran produced a nuclear weapon, the move would set off an arms race across the Gulf.
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright dismissed concerns about proliferation, insisting the deal was in Washington’s economic and strategic interest.
“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,” he said.
The United States has agreements governing nuclear cooperation with more than 50 countries.
Experts said such a deal had been in the works for a while, but some raised concerns about potential uranium enrichment on Saudi soil.
“It would be a mistake to allow Saudi Arabia the capability for enrichment,” said Matthew Kroenig of the Atlantic Council in comments made before the deal was formally announced.
“Washington is right to strengthen its relationship with Riyadh, but it should not do so at the expense of its effective nuclear weapons nonproliferation standards.”
Paul Dickman, chair of the American Nuclear Society’s External Affairs Committee, told AFP he was confident the deal wouldn’t create “additional proliferation challenges”.
But he insisted transparency was important, adding: “I would like to see within the language of this agreement how that transparency will be measured”.
Jennifer T. Gordon, director of the Atlantic Council’s Nuclear Energy Policy Initiative, said the agreement was a “win for the United States over Russia and China”.
“Saudi Arabia has made it clear that it will purchase nuclear energy technologies… the only question has been whether the kingdom would choose to work with the US and its allies, or whether it would turn to Russia or China,” she said.
