U.S. and Saudi Arabia sign nuclear pact with enrichment

The United States and Saudi Arabia signed a landmark nuclear cooperation agreement on July 22, 2026, establishing a framework for American companies to build and operate civilian nuclear power plants in the kingdom. The deal, signed by U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, includes a peaceful nuclear cooperation pact and a bilateral safeguards agreement, laying the legal foundation for a multibillion-dollar partnership expected to last decades.

A key and controversial aspect of the agreement is a provision that could allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium on its own soil. According to reports, the deal includes a joint U.S.-Saudi study to determine the economic viability of producing nuclear fuel domestically, which could lead to the construction of a uranium enrichment facility built by U.S. firms. This marks a significant departure from past U.S. nuclear pacts, such as the 2009 agreement with the United Arab Emirates, which explicitly prohibited enrichment and reprocessing.

Administration officials have strongly defended the deal's nonproliferation safeguards. In a statement, Secretary Wright asserted that the agreements uphold...