The Trump administration has reportedly reached a nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia.
The deal is expected to last 30 years and include U.S. companies in its development, the Associated Press reports. It may allow for the creation of a uranium enrichment facility. Details of the agreement are to be submitted to Congress for review, where it is expected to face scrutiny and criticism.
While Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not explicitly confirm the deal when approached by reporters, he did state, “The U.S. is not going to reach any agreement with any country in the world that leads to the risk of proliferation.”
Last year, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright met with Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud to discuss nuclear cooperation. Upon signing a Joint Declaration on the Completion of Negotiations on Civil Nuclear Cooperation, Wright said, “Today is a historic day for the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We’ve come together on a deal for civil nuclear cooperation. Together, with bilateral safeguard agreements, we want to grow our partnership, bring American nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia and keep a firm commitment to nonproliferation.”
“All of this is made possible because of President Trump’s vision of prosperity at home and peace abroad. This philosophy, this partnership, has transformed the Middle East into a region focused now on commerce, not conflict.”
Saudi Arabia has also pledged to invest at least $600 billion in the United States, a deal which seeks to strengthen the nation’s “energy security, defense industry, technology leadership, and access to global infrastructure and critical minerals.”
