U.S. approves nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia
President Donald Trump has approved a landmark civilian nuclear deal between the United States and Saudi Arabia that is expected to be announced Wednesday, a senior administration official told NBC News, reports BritPanorama.
The agreement will see the U.S. support the creation of a nuclear power program and enable American companies to build the program within the kingdom, according to the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly.
News of the agreement was first reported in The Wall Street Journal.
Congress will be required to vote on the agreement, but would need a veto-proof majority to actually block it.
The deal could pave the way for the kingdom to pursue its own uranium enrichment, likely raising fears of nuclear proliferation.
Asked ahead of the announcement about those concerns and reports of an expected deal, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that the U.S. would not “reach any agreement with any country in the world that leads to the risk of proliferation.”
The agreement comes as the war against Iran, launched by the U.S. and Israel, continues. Trump has insisted that Tehran should not be able to develop a nuclear weapon, despite the Islamic Republic consistently denying such intentions.
A normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia had previously been a U.S. requirement for any deal allowing the kingdom to enrich uranium. However, Saudi leaders have maintained that this would not be possible without meaningful progress toward a Palestinian state.
The complexity of regional dynamics underscores the challenges ahead as the U.S. navigates its policies in the Middle East.
