The United States and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday announced a landmark agreement to establish a civilian nuclear programme in the kingdom, a move expected to deepen strategic ties between the two allies but one that has also raised concerns over nuclear proliferation in the Middle East.
The agreement comes as Washington remains engaged in conflict with Iran, with Tehran’s nuclear programme continuing to dominate regional security concerns and stalled diplomatic efforts.
The deal is expected to generate billions of dollars in business for American companies while providing Saudi Arabia with access to US nuclear technology without requiring the kingdom to normalise diplomatic relations with Israel.
In recent years, the United States had linked any civil nuclear cooperation and defence pact with Saudi Arabia to the kingdom establishing formal ties with Israel.
However, critics argue that the agreement, the full text of which has not yet been made public, could trigger a regional nuclear arms race.
According to The Wall Street Journal, one provision of the agreement could allow US companies to build a uranium enrichment facility in Saudi Arabia.
The US Department of Energy did not confirm the report and declined to comment when contacted by AFP.
Allison Minor, Director of the Project for Middle East Integration at the Atlantic Council, said the agreement sends a strong signal to Iran while reinforcing ties with a key US ally.
“By keeping the door open for uranium enrichment inside Saudi Arabia, the nuclear deal sends a powerful message to Tehran,” she said.
The agreement will be submitted to the US Congress for review, although it is widely expected to pass given the Republican majority in both chambers.
Nevertheless, lawmakers from both major political parties, along with Israeli officials, have previously expressed concern that allowing uranium enrichment in Saudi Arabia could eventually provide the kingdom with the capability to develop nuclear weapons.
US Senator Bernie Sanders criticised the agreement on social media.
“Trump claims his war on Iran is about stopping an authoritarian country from enriching nuclear fuel. Now he’s letting his best friends in Saudi Arabia do exactly that. This is absurd,” Sanders wrote.
Responding to the criticism, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted the agreement contains safeguards designed to prevent any military use of the technology.
“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,” Rubio said.
Saudi Arabia has consistently maintained that it has the right to develop a peaceful civilian nuclear programme. Last year, the kingdom also signed a mutual defence pact with nuclear-armed Pakistan.
Proliferation concerns
The United States signed a similar civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with the United Arab Emirates in 2009, although the UAE does not enrich uranium domestically.
Security concerns surrounding nuclear infrastructure in the region have intensified in recent years. In May, a drone strike near the UAE’s Barakah nuclear power plant caused a fire after hitting a generator.
Analysts have long warned that any move by Iran to develop a nuclear weapon could spark a broader arms race across the Gulf region.
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright dismissed concerns that the Saudi agreement would increase proliferation risks.
“These agreements uphold the highest standards of nuclear safety and nonproliferation while relying on the world’s best nuclear technology and scientists,” he said.
The United States currently maintains civilian nuclear cooperation agreements with more than 50 countries.
While many experts acknowledged that negotiations on the Saudi deal had been underway for years, some cautioned against permitting uranium enrichment within the kingdom.
Matthew Kroenig of the Atlantic Council said allowing Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium would weaken long-standing US non-proliferation standards.
“It would be a mistake to allow Saudi Arabia the capability for enrichment,” he said.
Paul Dickman, Chair of the American Nuclear Society’s External Affairs Committee, expressed confidence that the agreement would not create significant proliferation risks but stressed the importance of transparency.
“I would like to see within the language of this agreement how that transparency will be measured,” he said.
Jennifer T. Gordon, Director of the Atlantic Council’s Nuclear Energy Policy Initiative, described the agreement as a strategic victory for Washington 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 United States and its allies or turn to Russia or China,” she said.
AFP
