US media report that the United States and Saudi Arabia are preparing to announce a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement that would allow Riyadh to expand its peaceful nuclear programme and produce part of the fuel it needs domestically. According to US officials cited in the reports, President Donald Trump’s administration could formally announce the agreement on Wednesday. Under the reported plan, Saudi Arabia would be permitted to enrich uranium on its own soil after completing a joint study with the United States, using a facility built by American companies. The deal could be worth billions of dollars to US firms. However, nuclear experts and several former Israeli officials have warned that allowing domestic uranium enrichment could, in the long term, increase Saudi Arabia’s capability to develop nuclear weapons. The proposed arrangement differs from the 2009 US-UAE civilian nuclear agreement, under which the United Arab Emirates agreed to forgo domestic uranium enrichment and nuclear fuel production.
