The 30-year agreement, confirmed by US administration sources, will permit the kingdom to enrich uranium on its own soil with US companies playing a central role in developing the infrastructure. US officials say the arrangement will prevent Saudi enrichment for military purposes.
US administration sources confirmed Wednesday morning that President Donald Trump has reached a 30-year civilian nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia, allowing the kingdom to enrich uranium on its soil. The confirmation, reported by US outlets, states that American companies will lead the development of Saudi nuclear infrastructure, and that US involvement will prevent the diversion of enriched uranium to military purposes.
The Zioneer had reported the deal's progression throughout the morning. At 05:16 Jerusalem, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had approved the agreement with potential for uranium enrichment. By 06:38, The Zioneer published details of the 30-year deal, including US companies building the enrichment facility. At 07:35, Israel Hayom confirmed the enrichment provision, and at 08:05, the New York Times reported that the deal had been signed with no requirement for Saudi normalization with Israel — a departure from the Biden administration's approach.
Earlier reports indicated that the Trump administration expects 'black box' safeguards to prevent a Saudi nuclear weapons program, and that the deal includes a ten-year ban on Saudi enrichment if Washington opposes it after a two-year review. The absence of a normalization condition has raised concerns in Jerusalem, though the administration has stated it will continue to pursue Israeli-Saudi normalization separately.
The specifics of international oversight and the timeline for facility construction remain to be clarified, as does the full scope of the safeguards mechanism.
4 developments
- DevelopingIsrael Hayom reports new details of Trump-Saudi nuclear deal, confirms uranium enrichment on Saudi soil
- DevelopingDraft US-Saudi agreement may allow Saudi uranium enrichment without full international safeguards
- DevelopingTrump to submit Iran peace and nuclear deal to Congress, vows to destroy enriched uranium
- DevelopingUS expects 'black box' safeguards to prevent Saudi nuclear weapons program, officials say
Source and signal
- Internal intake