Trump approves deal with Saudi Arabia that could allow kingdom to enrich nuclear fuel

By Kevin Liptak, CNN

(CNN) — President Donald Trump has approved a nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia that could lead to the kingdom enriching its own fuel for civilian reactors, according to a US official.

The deal would last 30 years and could be announced as soon as Wednesday, according to the official, who added the agreement would involve American companies providing technology and expertise in developing the Saudi program.

The Trump administration intends to send the deal to Congress after it is announced.

Any agreement to give Saudi Arabia access to nuclear technology could prove controversial, both domestically and within the wider Middle East region, since the ability to enrich nuclear fuel could, in theory, eventually lead to the creation of nuclear weapons.

The agreement includes limits on what inspections might be carried out on the Saudi program, according to the US official, which may draw skepticism from lawmakers.

Israel, a country that is widely believed to have undeclared nuclear weapons, has long been wary of Saudi Arabia accessing nuclear technology.

Iran, Saudi Arabia’s main rival in the region, has a stockpile of enriched uranium and has vowed to cling to its nuclear program even after months of US bombardment, claiming the program is for civilian purposes.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has pledged to seek a nuclear weapon if Iran were ever to produce one.

Uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing are the two main pathways to create the core materials necessary to build nuclear weapons. Most countries with civilian nuclear reactors that require enriched uranium don’t produce it domestically — they instead purchase the material from vendors like the US or Russia and receive it in sealed shipments under strict international supervision.

The US has been eying a Saudi civilian nuclear agreement for years. Under the Biden administration, such an arrangement was viewed as part of a broader normalization pact between Saudi Arabia and Israel. But those efforts faltered after the October 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks. The Trump administration picked up the nuclear discussions last year.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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