The U.S. Department of Energy announced a signed Section 123 civil nuclear cooperation agreement between Washington and Saudi Arabia. The 30-year agreement aims to open multibillion-dollar commercial opportunities for U.S. nuclear firms (such as Westinghouse) and help Saudi Arabia transition its domestic grid toward nuclear energy. The pact has sparked intense debate for several reasons, of course.

Congress has not yet approved the arrangement, and few details about it have been made public. But former officials and members of the nuclear community said it is a major shift in U.S. policy and risks accelerating a nuclear arms race in an already volatile region.

The agreement may allow U.S. companies to build uranium enrichment facilities in Saudi Arabia to supply its nuclear reactors. U.S. companies would also provide additional technical expertise. The deal could mean Saudi Arabia would not have to import its nuclear fuel, and it could provide a pathway for it to enrich uranium on its own at a later date.

Unlike the landmark 2009 U.S. - UAE agreement, which explicitly barred domestic uranium enrichment (the "gold standard" of non-proliferation), the framework with Saudi Arabia includes a joint feasibility study on building a uranium enrichment facility in the kingdom. Enrichment technology can generate fuel for peaceful power plants, but if refined to higher purity levels, it can be used to produce weapons-grade material.

Speaking to AzerNEWS, geopolitical risk analyst Victor Bruno argued that the agreement reflects a much broader........

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