Officials assure public the kingdom’s nuclear materials will be used only for peaceful energy, regional stability, and whatever becomes necessary later
WASHINGTON—In a major breakthrough for nuclear nonproliferation, the Trump administration announced Wednesday that the United States will help Saudi Arabia develop a civilian nuclear program that may eventually include enriching its own uranium, thereby reducing the number of dangerous Middle Eastern countries pursuing sensitive nuclear technology without America’s explicit permission.
The 30-year agreement, described by officials as both “historic” and “probably fine,” establishes a multibillion-dollar partnership involving U.S. nuclear companies, American scientists, Saudi officials, congressional reviewers, international safeguards, and at least one future committee tasked with determining why everyone pretended not to see this coming.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the deal would uphold “the highest standards of nuclear safety and nonproliferation,” a phrase government officials use whenever they are standing near the phrase “uranium enrichment” and would prefer reporters to focus on the word “peaceful.”
“This is not about giving another country the ability to produce material that could potentially be used in a nuclear weapon,” Wright said in a fictional clarification issued moments after the announcement. “This is about giving a trusted strategic partner the ability to produce material that could potentially be used in a nuclear weapon, but with excellent paperwork.”
Under the agreement, the United States and Saudi Arabia will conduct a joint study to determine whether the kingdom should build a domestic uranium enrichment facility. Experts said the study will carefully examine technical feasibility, economic benefits, regional security, proliferation risks, and whether the phrase “joint study” makes the eventual decision sound less predetermined.
The announcement comes as the United States is engaged in a war with Iran partly over Iran’s insistence that it should be allowed to enrich uranium domestically.
Administration officials stressed that the two situations are completely different because Iran is Iran, while Saudi Arabia is a longstanding American partner that purchases large quantities of weapons and has therefore demonstrated the responsible temperament expected of a nation seeking access to nuclear fuel-cycle technology.
“Nuclear enrichment is deeply destabilizing when conducted by hostile governments,” explained fictional nonproliferation scholar Dr. Ellen Wexler of the Institute for Policies That Depend Entirely on Who Is Doing Them. “When conducted by friendly governments, it becomes economic development.”
Wexler added that uranium atoms themselves are capable of distinguishing between allies and adversaries.
“When enriched in Iran, uranium becomes aggressive, secretive, and ideologically motivated,” she said. “When enriched in Saudi Arabia, it wears a visitor badge, attends investor conferences, and describes itself as part of a diversified energy portfolio.”
Officials also emphasized that the agreement advances nuclear nonproliferation by ensuring Saudi Arabia will not have to pursue nuclear capabilities through less regulated channels, such as secrecy, illicit procurement networks, or asking another nuclear power that might demand fewer PowerPoint presentations.
The deal will be submitted to Congress, where lawmakers will have an opportunity to review the safeguards, express profound concern, hold several hearings, appear visibly troubled on cable television, and ultimately determine whether Westinghouse should receive billions of dollars.
Some members of Congress have already raised questions about monitoring and restrictions on Saudi enrichment. Those concerns are expected to be addressed through a robust safeguards framework involving inspections, reporting requirements, verification procedures, and a firm diplomatic understanding that nobody will enrich uranium beyond agreed limits unless circumstances change.
“The Saudis have committed to transparency,” said a fictional senior administration official. “And by transparency, we mean we will be able to see the facility clearly in satellite photographs.”
The agreement had previously been discussed during the Biden administration, which reportedly sought to link nuclear cooperation to Saudi normalization with Israel. Saudi Arabia declined, leaving the Trump administration to adopt the more streamlined diplomatic approach of removing the condition and announcing that everyone had achieved peace through commerce.
Supporters say the program could provide Saudi Arabia with nuclear energy, reduce dependence on fossil fuels, create jobs for American firms, and strengthen ties between two nations united by a shared belief that difficult moral questions should never interfere with a sufficiently large contract.
The administration rejected suggestions that its policy toward Saudi enrichment contradicts its policy toward Iranian enrichment.
“Our position is entirely consistent,” said the fictional official. “No country in the Middle East should enrich uranium unless the United States has decided it would be lucrative.”
Asked what would happen if Saudi Arabia eventually used its nuclear infrastructure to pursue a weapon, the official emphasized that such a development would be unacceptable, unforeseeable, and an excellent reason to increase the defense budget.
After all, nothing prevents nuclear proliferation quite like making sure every bomb begins as an American jobs program.