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Home – Saudi Arabia News – US Reaches Nuclear Power Deal With Saudi Arabia

US Reaches Nuclear Power Deal With Saudi Arabia

July 22 (Reuters) – The U.S. and Saudi Arabia reached an agreement on civil nuclear power, letting the kingdom enrich uranium and build nuclear reactors using U.S. technology, without requiring the snap UN inspections that Washington has previously demanded from Iran.

A civil nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia has been in the works for years during both President Donald Trump’s first administration and that of former President Joe Biden.

No deal has come together before now, however, in part because of warnings from nonproliferation groups that say that it could offer Saudi Arabia a path to develop a nuclear weapon.

Unlike the Biden plan, the Trump administration deal does not provide for Saudi Arabia to sign the so-called Additional Protocol that allows the U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency to carry out snap inspections at undeclared locations.

More than a year ago, Saudi Arabia switched from light-touch IAEA oversight designed for countries with very limited nuclear activities to regular safeguards with monitoring of declared nuclear facilities. The move was part of a planned nuclear expansion that it has long said will include enrichment.

The Additional Protocol is designed to guard against secret nuclear activities, a concern regarding Saudi Arabia since Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has repeatedly said Riyadh will develop nuclear........

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