US Companies to Support Saudi Civilian Nuclear Programme for 30 Years

The administration of United States President Donald Trump is reportedly set to announce a major deal that will allow Saudi Arabia to develop a civilian nuclear programme. According to US media reports citing officials, the official announcement is expected on Wednesday (22/7) local time. The deal is predicted to be worth billions of dollars for the US. American companies are likely to be involved in the construction of enriched uranium production facilities. Although the uranium is intended as fuel for power plants, the technology also has the potential to be developed into nuclear weapons. The plan has triggered a strong reaction from nuclear experts and former officials in Israel, the main US ally in the Middle East. They voiced concerns that the deal could ultimately pave the way for Saudi Arabia to possess its own nuclear weapons. Besides Israel, global nuclear non-proliferation activists have also expressed similar concerns. Their main focus is preventing an increase in the number of countries with access to nuclear weapons worldwide. According to media reports, the terms of the agreement allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium on its own soil after conducting a joint study with the US. This differs from the 2009 deal between the US and the United Arab Emirates, where the Emirates were prohibited from producing their own fuel and had to accept various strict restrictions. The Wall Street Journal reported that the deal has been approved by President Trump and will be valid for 30 years. If, after the joint study, the US objects to enrichment activities in Saudi Arabia, the kingdom is prohibited from doing so independently or with other foreign partners for 10 years. The nuclear issue arises amid the prolonged conflict between the US-Israel and Iran. In 2018, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told CBS News that his country had no plans to develop nuclear weapons, but asserted, ‘Without a doubt, if Iran develops a nuclear bomb, we will follow suit as soon as possible.’ Interestingly, a New York Times report stated that the nuclear deal is not a condition for Saudi Arabia to normalise diplomatic relations with Israel, even though such normalisation has long been an aspiration of previous US presidents.