President Donald Trump has approved a nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia that may open doors to uranium enrichment for its civilian nuclear program.
According to the sources familiar with the matter and reported by Associated Press, no formal announcement has come from the Trump administration but it is expected that the White House will publicly confirm the agreement as early as Wednesday.
As per the postulates of the deal, this agreement is expected to last 30 years and it will involve the participation of the US firms in developing the program.
Besides receiving the greenlight from Trump, the Saudi nuclear deal is beset with challenges. The foremost opposition is expected to come from Congress lawmakers during the review as they believe that approval for enriching uranium will open new avenues of nuclear proliferation and zero-sum competition in the Middle East region, thereby bringing more instability.
Nonproliferation experts also warn that allowing Saudi Arabia to spin centrifuges could open the door to a domestic nuclear weapons program. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman previously suggested he would pursue an atomic bomb if Iran obtains one.
Although Saudi Arabia is a member state of IAEA, the agreement is reportedly not expected to include IAEA’s Additional Protocol which would provide for intensified inspections, monitoring and verification.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia signed a mutual defence pact with nuclear-armed Pakistan, with Pakistan’s defence minister stating its nuclear program would be available to Saudi Arabia if needed.
In addition to Saudi Arabia, the UAE signed 123 Agreement with the US, allowing the country to establish its Barakah nuclear plant without seeking uranium enrichment.
The announcement comes as US-Iran are locked in high stakes conflict in the region over the Strait of Hormuz and Tehran’s nuclear program. For years, Washington has been pursuing efforts to strip Iran of its nuclear capabilities despite Iran’s denial of making an atomic bomb.
