US-Saudi Nuclear Deal Invites Proliferation Risks … Unless Safeguards Are Written In
Critics say the 30-year pact weakens nonproliferation rules by dropping enrichment limits and extra IAEA inspections.
- On July 22, President Donald Trump signed a 30-year civil nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia, allowing Riyadh to enrich uranium without standard non-proliferation constraints.
- Washington previously established a 'Gold Standard' prohibition on enrichment and reprocessing in a 2009 deal with the United Arab Emirates, which the new agreement with Saudi Arabia abandons.
- Commercial reactors use 3% to 5% enriched uranium, while 90% enrichment is required for weapons; the political decision to proliferate is the critical factor, according to Robert Pape.
- Trump stated the deal remains conditional on Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords, though the agreement could increase pressure on Iran to accelerate its own nuclear capabilities.
- Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman warned the kingdom would seek nuclear weapons if Iran obtains them, signaling that competition rather than non-proliferation now shapes the regional security landscape.
40 Articles
40 Articles
Why Did Trump Just Give Saudi Arabia the Fast Track to a Nuclear Weapon?
At the beginning of Donald Trump’s first term as U.S. President in 2017, a senior White House official commented off-the-record to OilPrice.com that: “We’re not going to put up with any more crap from the Saudis.” The comment had followed the end of the 2014-2016 Oil Price War that had seen the Kingdom rally its fellow OPEC members to ramp up their collective oil production in order to crash oil prices to cause the bankruptcy of as many American…
What the US-Saudi Nuclear Deal Means for Global Nonproliferation
What the US-Saudi Nuclear Deal Means for Global Nonproliferation ccolon Mon, 07/27/2026 - 17:27 The United States and Saudi Arabia signed a landmark nuclear agreement on July 22, potentially giving the kingdom the ability to enrich uranium in the future.US officials have described the deal as a “peaceful nuclear cooperation agreement” that will grant the Saudis access to US nuclear technology, “benefiting American industry, workers, and supply c…
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