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Atomic weapons are an extinction-level threat, so you’d ideally want a steady hand guiding U.S. nuclear policy. Instead, we have Donald Trump—and boy has he made the past two days tense. Yesterday, the Trump administration signed an accord to give Saudi Arabia a nuclear energy program. This morning, the president promptly threw the whole agreement into doubt. So is there a deal or not? It’s a high-stakes question; the accord could one day help the Saudis make a nuclear bomb, adding more turmoil to an already chaotic region. Today—with the help of Slate’s resident nuclear expert Fred Kaplan—I’ll explain what we know about the potential deal, and what questions remain.

Seeing Trump and nuclear in a sentence makes me nervous. What does this deal actually say?

I can’t blame you. The deal would commit U.S. companies to build nuclear reactors on Saudi soil to generate power. Despite being an oil-rich nation, Saudi Arabia has long sought this kind of deal to diversify its energy sources. The U.S. also has similar agreements with dozens of other countries.

OK, that sounds reassuring. Does this mean the Saudis can’t make a bomb?

If only. As Fred explained this week, this particular agreement is different in a key way: It could eventually let Saudi Arabia enrich its own nuclear fuel—ostensibly for medical research or other specialized purposes, but potentially to make a weapon. The deal also lacks specific provisions for international inspections, something the country reportedly insisted on. If it does make a bomb, a regional arms race could ensue.

Yikes. But why would Saudi Arabia........

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