Trump Approves Nuclear Deal for Saudi Arabia to Enrich Uranium
President Donald Trump has authorized a deal with Saudi Arabia that may enable the kingdom to acquire uranium enrichment abilities for its civilian nuclear initiative.
The agreement is anticipated to extend for 30 years and is also likely to engage US companies in advancing the program.
The agreement might permit the construction of a uranium enrichment plant in Saudi Arabia after a collaborative US-Saudi research.
Both Trump and ex-President Joe Biden sought to secure a nuclear agreement with the kingdom for sharing American technology.
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However, nonproliferation specialists caution that any operational centrifuges in Saudi Arabia might pave the way for a potential weapons initiative for the nation, a possibility its determined crown prince has indicated he may explore if Tehran acquires a nuclear bomb.
Enrichment alone does not guarantee a nuclear weapon; a country must also excel in additional processes like the application of synchronized high explosives, for example.
However, it does pave the way for weaponization, which has heightened Western worries regarding Iran's program.
The United Arab Emirates, neighboring Saudi Arabia, entered into a "123 agreement" with the US to develop its Barakah nuclear power facility with support from South Korea. However, the UAE achieved this without pursuing enrichment, a practice that nonproliferation specialists consider the "gold standard" for countries desiring nuclear energy.
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, which possess nuclear weapons, have already established a mutual defense agreement following an Israeli strike on Qatar aimed at Hamas leaders.
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Pakistan's defense minister subsequently stated that his country's nuclear program "will be offered" to Saudi Arabia if required, interpreted as a caution to Israel, which has long been considered the sole nuclear-armed nation in the Middle East.
Enrichment alone does not guarantee a nuclear weapon; a country must also control other processes, such as employing synchronized high explosives, for example. However, it does create the possibility of weaponization, which has heightened the West's worries about Iran's program.
The United Arab Emirates, adjacent to Saudi Arabia, entered into a “123 agreement” with the US for the construction of its Barakah nuclear facility with support from South Korea. However, the UAE accomplished this without pursuing enrichment, which non-proliferation specialists have regarded as the “gold standard” for countries aspiring to nuclear energy.
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Yet, civil facilities in the area are experiencing increasing hazards: in May, a drone hit an electrical generator outside Barakah’s inner boundary, sparking a fire and revealing the weaknesses of Gulf energy infrastructure.