Jul 27, 2026 15:27 pm IST

Opinion | Trump's Nuclear 'Gift' To Saudi Arabia Could Haunt Middle East For Years

Trump just signed a '123' deal with the Kingdom. For the Saudis, this could be a big win. But for the region, it can quickly become a source of uncontrolled chaos.

Tara Kartha Tara Kartha Columnist

Tara Kartha Columnist

As usual, US President Donald Trump has pulled another cracker from his hat. In a surprise move, the US Department of Energy announced that the US and Saudi Arabia had reached an agreement on a thirty-year civil nuclear deal, also called the '123 Agreement', which, as is typical of this administration, lauds the "great access" given to US companies to the Saudi nuclear energy programme, the benefits for American industry and workers, President Trump's vision, and so on. All standard issues on most US government announcements now. Almost as a footnote, it also says the agreement will meet Saudi energy needs.

What would puzzle most people is the timing. After all, the proposal has been in the pipeline for years - it was there even during Trump's first term. For the Saudis, this is a big win. But it is going to lead to a lot more anxiety in the region with possible developments.

First, the '123 agreement' itself. It gets its name from a US Energy Act section that allows peaceful nuclear cooperation with other countries. The US has some 26 such agreements in force with various nations to allow the transfer of nuclear material or equipment and facilitate technical exchanges, scientific research, and safeguards discussions. These agreements are tied to the 'Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)' and require strong non-proliferation agreements on the ground, with safeguards agreements and oversight by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Though, however strong the oversight, there is already strong opposition from both Republicans and Democrats towards encouraging the development of a technology that everyone agrees is dual-use.

Early reports had indicated that there might be a two-year study to assess the viability of local enrichment. But for now, it appears that there are no such plans, with some talk of a 'black-box' facility that would allow the US to enrich uranium in Saudi Arabia under its control. Though it is impossible that the deal would not have been discussed with Israel first, Tel Aviv will certainly do all it can to prevent enrichment inside........

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