Trump tentatively agrees to let Saudi Arabia enrich uranium without standard safeguards

The Trump administration has tentatively agreed to allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium without requiring the kingdom to adopt international safeguards designed to prevent nuclear weapons development, according to a CNN report published Friday based on sources and documents reviewed by the outlet.krdo+1

The draft nuclear accord, which outlines U.S. support for Riyadh's civilian nuclear program, has been awaiting President Donald Trump's signature since negotiations concluded in October 2025. Despite months passing, the agreement has not been sent to Congress for the legally required 90-day review period, four sources told CNN.krdo

A Deal Without the "Gold Standard"

The agreement — a so-called 123 agreement under the Atomic Energy Act — would serve as a legal framework for U.S. companies or the government to transfer nuclear material and technology to Saudi Arabia's civilian nuclear program. But it does not require the kingdom to adopt the IAEA's Additional Protocol, a standard enhanced safeguards agreement that gives inspectors broader access to verify peaceful nuclear use, according to a waiver submitted to Congress in late 2025 and a May 2026 State Department letter to lawmakers.armscontrol+1

Instead, the safeguards arrangement would be a bilateral agreement between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia that, "with the involvement" of the IAEA, would employ "additional safeguards and verification measures to the most proliferation-sensitive areas" of cooperation, including enrichment, conversion, fuel fabrication, and reprocessing.krdo+1

Arms control experts have raised alarms. Kelsey Davenport of the Arms Control Association wrote that the deal's language "appears quite likely" to provide Saudi Arabia "a pathway to some form of uranium enrichment or access to enrichment knowledge".ynetnews+1

Congressional Review Ahead

The agreement's path forward hinges on whether and when the White House sends it to Congress. Reuters first reported in February 2026 that the administration had informed lawmakers it was pursuing the deal without standard nonproliferation guardrails. During Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's November 2025 visit to Washington, the White House announced the completion of negotiations, describing the framework as "the legal foundation for a decades-long, multi-billion-dollar nuclear energy partnership".ans+2

Once submitted, Congress has 90 days to review the deal. Unless both chambers pass resolutions of disapproval, the agreement takes effect. Democratic lawmakers have already urged the administration to insist on "gold standard" protections that would prohibit enrichment and reprocessing.responsiblestatecraft+2

The deal's critics warn that allowing Saudi Arabia enrichment capabilities — while simultaneously pressuring Iran to surrender its nuclear program — sends a contradictory message and risks triggering a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.ynetnews+1