The United States on Wednesday signed a landmark civilian nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia, pressing ahead with closer strategic ties despite the war with Iran. Washington said the deal includes strict non-proliferation safeguards as regional tensions continue to escalate.
The United States on Wednesday announced a landmark deal with Saudi Arabia to establish a civilian nuclear programme in the Gulf kingdom, with Washington insisting the agreement includes non-proliferation safeguards.
The move comes as the United States, under President Donald Trump, wages war with Iran, which began in part over US concerns about Tehran's nuclear programme – an issue that remains a key point of contention in now-stalled talks between the two foes.
The agreements were signed by US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, the US Energy Department said.
"Together, these two agreements lay the legal foundation for a decades-long, multi-billion-dollar partnership that advances several priority economic and strategic objectives, including nuclear non-proliferation," the department said in a statement.
A provision in the deal could see US companies build a uranium enrichment facility in Saudi Arabia, The Wall Street Journal reported. The Energy Department statement made no mention of such a provision, and the department did not comment when asked about it by AFP.
The deal will be submitted to Congress for review, but the Republican-controlled legislature is unlikely to block its implementation.
US lawmakers from both parties and Israeli officials have voiced opposition to a civilian nuclear project for Saudi Arabia over fears it could eventually be converted to develop nuclear weapons.
Saudi Arabia, like Tehran, has long insisted on its right to pursue a civilian nuclear programme. Last year it signed a mutual defence pact with nuclear-armed Pakistan.
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Washington has sought in recent years to include any nuclear agreement in a broader strategic push that would see Saudi Arabia normalise ties with Israel, alongside the signing of a US defence pact.
Destabilised region
The United States signed a nuclear agreement with neighbouring United Arab Emirates in 2009, although the country does not enrich its own uranium.
A drone struck a generator in May near the UAE's Barakah, the Arab world's only such facility, causing a fire.
Policymakers have long feared that if Iran produced a nuclear weapon, it would trigger an arms race across the Gulf.
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Speaking in Manila before the deal was formally announced, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed fears it could lead to nuclear proliferation.
"Suffice it to say, the US is not going to reach any agreement with any country in the world that leads to the risk of proliferation," he told reporters on the sidelines of a summit of Southeast Asian foreign ministers.
With renewed fighting between the United States and Iran, fears are growing that the war risks further destabilising the region.
Tehran's Yemeni allies, the Houthi rebels, threatened this week to expand the war by announcing they would blockade Saudi ports.
The declaration has fuelled fears that such a blockade could threaten the supply of millions of barrels of crude to the international market.
Saudi Arabia and the Houthis traded fire last week, threatening a 2022 truce, although the rebels have largely remained on the sidelines since the Middle East war erupted on February 28.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
