US President Donald Trump has approved a 30-year agreement with Saudi Arabia on cooperation in civilian nuclear energy. Projects under the deal are expected to be worth tens of billions of dollars, with American companies taking the leading role in building Saudi nuclear infrastructure.
The agreement allows a uranium-enrichment facility using American technology to be built in the kingdom if a joint study concludes that the project is commercially viable.
The Trump administration says American oversight and a “black-box” system will prevent the transfer of sensitive technology and reduce the risk of its use for military purposes.
Unlike the Joe Biden administration, Trump did not make approval of the agreement conditional on Saudi Arabia normalizing relations with Israel.
The two sides are expected to sign the document this week, after which it will be submitted to Congress for review. Opponents of the deal are unlikely to secure enough votes to block it.
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