Washington signs landmark nuclear pact with Saudi Arabia amidst nonproliferation fears and scrutiny over commercial ties
POLITICS
The United States Department of Energy has announced a historic civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia, marking a watershed moment in Middle Eastern diplomacy and opening the door for nuclear technology to enter the Gulf region.
The pact, signed by U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, establishes a legal framework—commonly known as a Section 123 agreement—alongside a bilateral safeguards protocol designed to regulate nuclear exports and technology transfers over the coming decades.
While the administration has hailed the deal as a major economic triumph that will generate billions of dollars for American industry and secure high-paying domestic manufacturing jobs, the agreement has immediately triggered sharp criticism from foreign policy experts, non-proliferation advocates, and opposition lawmakers in Capitol Hill.
At its core, the Section 123 agreement creates the legal architecture required for U.S. commercial nuclear firms, including major reactor developers like Westinghouse, to bid on multi-billion-dollar infrastructure contracts in the Kingdom.
Saudi Arabia, the world’s leading crude exporter, has long sought to diversify its domestic energy matrix under its Vision 2030 modernization program, aiming to build civil reactors to meet soaring electricity demands driven by industrial expansion and data center growth.
In official statements, the Energy Department emphasized that the bilateral arrangement upholds stringent nuclear safety and security standards while restoring American competitiveness in a global nuclear market increasingly contested by Russia and China.
Why the US Administration believes a Saudi nuclear technology for Saudis only is a way to show American greatness? We do not know. It's yet another thing the US Government will take credit for that doesn't benefit the US Citizens.
For foreign policy analysts, the pact highlights a masterclass in regional diplomacy by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and his son who is said to be behind the scenes on many Saudi-benefit deals. By maintaining active, multi-track talks with Russian and Chinese state nuclear entities over the past several years, Riyadh effectively signaled to Washington that it possessed alternative pathways to atomic power should the U.S. demand overly restrictive conditions.
That leverage appears to have paid substantial dividends. Unlike the 2009 landmark U.S. nuclear agreement with the United Arab Emirates—which was dubbed the "gold standard" because the UAE voluntarily renounced domestic uranium enrichment and reprocessing—the new U.S.-Saudi agreement leaves open potential avenues for enrichment under future joint framework studies.
Critics argue that by granting concessions that were withheld from other regional partners, the U.S. has handed Riyadh a significant strategic victory.
Beyond non-proliferation concerns, the agreement has reignited intense scrutiny over the close financial and corporate intersections between key figures in the U.S. administration and the Saudi state.
Opponents in the US Congress point to the sprawling network of private equity ventures, real estate deals, and golf investments involving family members, in-laws, and prominent corporate allies of the administration. Over recent years, several high-profile financial funds connected to presidential advisors and relatives have been trying to secure multi-billion-dollar capital commitments directly from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).
Democratic lawmakers have pledged to scrutinize the fine print of the 123 agreement during the mandatory congressional review period, raising questions about whether commercial and personal economic ties influenced Washington’s diplomatic posture.
Under the U.S. Atomic Energy Act, the agreement must now undergo a mandatory 90-day review in Congress before it can take full effect.
While the administration's political allies currently hold majorities in both chambers, the pact is expected to face a contentious debate. Lawmakers across both parties have historically expressed deep skepticism toward any nuclear arrangement that could trigger an arms race in the Middle East—particularly given Saudi Arabia's past statements that it would seek a nuclear deterrent if rival regional powers developed atomic weapons.
Another win for the Saudis and another fake victory for the Americans.
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