Fox News reports, citing a Trump administration source, that President Trump approved Saudi Arabia's request to enrich uranium on its soil and develop nuclear capabilities. The report confirms earlier Israeli media reports from Israel Hayom.
Fox News reported Sunday, citing a source in the Trump administration, that President Trump approved Saudi Arabia's request to enrich uranium on its soil and develop nuclear capabilities. The report, published at approximately 14:23 Jerusalem, moments after The Zioneer published a bulletin at 14:22 recapping an earlier Israel Hayom report, provides the first on-the-record confirmation from an administration official.
The story began Saturday evening, July 18, at 22:02 Jerusalem, when an unverified open-source intelligence claim circulated that the administration had tentatively agreed to permit Saudi enrichment without safeguards. That same evening, The Zioneer's Arab Desk reported that the final text of a nuclear cooperation agreement had been prepared, not yet signed. CNN then reported that the deal had been finalized without requiring the IAEA's Additional Protocol, followed by a CNN report of a preliminary agreement to allow enrichment. The Zioneer, at the same time, reported on an emerging exceptional nuclear deal. Finally, Israel Hayom reported that the Trump administration had approved the enrichment request. The Sunday Fox News report, with a named source, now provides the strongest corroboration to date.
The development is part of a broader US nuclear policy shift. The Zioneer has previously reported on parallel tracks, including ongoing talks with Iran allowing low-level enrichment, and Trump's stated opposition to Iran obtaining nuclear weapons. The Saudi deal, allowing enrichment without the IAEA's Additional Protocol, has drawn criticism from non-proliferation experts.
No official statement has been issued by the White House or the Saudi government. The deal has not yet been signed by President Trump or submitted to Congress.
7 developments
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- ConfirmedSenior US official: Deal expected within days, US to receive all enriched uranium
- StrongUS officials release text of imminent Iran deal — uranium stays in Iran, analysts warn
Source and signal
- Internal intake