Trump approves nuclear agreement that may allow Saudi Arabia to enrich
uranium, two AP sources say
[July 22, 2026]
By AAMER MADHANI, MICHELLE L. PRICE and JON GAMBRELL
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has approved an agreement with
Saudi Arabia that could potentially provide the kingdom with uranium
enrichment capability for its civilian nuclear program, according to two
people familiar with the matter.
The people, who were not authorized to comment publicly about the yet to
be formally announced decision, said the agreement is expected to be
announced publicly as early as Wednesday.
The deal is expected to last 30 years and is also expected to involve
U.S. firms in developing the program. The deal could allow for the
building of a uranium enrichment facility in Saudi Arabia following a
joint U.S.-Saudi study.
But the deal, which is expected to be submitted to Congress for review,
could face headwinds among lawmakers who fear that helping the Saudis
fulfill their long-standing desire to enrich their own uranium would
open new rounds of nuclear proliferation and competition.
Saudi Arabia is a member state of the International Atomic Energy
Agency, a Vienna-based agency which promotes peaceful nuclear work but
also inspects nations to ensure they don’t have clandestine atomic
weapons programs.
But the agreement is not expected to include the IAEA’s Additional
Protocol, which would allow for more monitoring, inspections and
verification, according to one of the people.
The expected announcement comes in the midst of the war against Iran
launched by the U.S. and Israel, in part, to wipe out Tehran’s ability
to develop a nuclear weapon. Iran has insisted its nuclear enrichment
program is peaceful.
The White House and Saudi officials in Riyadh did not immediately
respond to requests for comment on the decision, which was first
reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Both Trump and former President Joe Biden tried to reach a nuclear deal
with the kingdom to share American technology.
But nonproliferation experts warn any spinning centrifuges within Saudi
Arabia could open the door to a possible weapons program for the
kingdom, something its assertive de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed
bin Salman, has suggested he could pursue if Tehran obtains an atomic
bomb.
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President Donald Trump gestures while meeting with Lebanese
President Joseph Aoun in the Oval Office at the White House,
Tuesday, July 21, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Energy Secretary Chris Wright traveled to Saudi Arabia last year
shortly before Trump visited the kingdom and discussed building out
the kingdom’s commercial nuclear power industry with his Saudi
counterpart. The U.S. Department of Energy did not immediately
respond to requests for comment late Tuesday.
Already, Saudi Arabia and nuclear-armed Pakistan signed a mutual
defense pact after Israel launched an attack on Qatar targeting
Hamas officials. Pakistan’s defense minister then said his nation’s
nuclear program “will be made available” to Saudi Arabia if needed,
something seen as a warning for Israel, long believed to be the
Middle East’s only nuclear-armed state.
Enrichment isn’t an automatic path to a nuclear weapon — a nation
also must master other steps, including the use of synchronized high
explosives, for instance. But it does open the door to
weaponization, which has fueled the concerns of the West over Iran’s
program.
The United Arab Emirates, a neighbor to Saudi Arabia, signed what is
referred to as a “123 agreement” with the U.S. to build its Barakah
nuclear power plant with South Korean assistance. But the UAE did so
without seeking enrichment, something nonproliferation experts have
held up as the “gold standard” for nations wanting atomic power.
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Price reported from Manila, Philippines, and Gambrell from Dubai,
United Arab Emirates. AP writers Will Weissert and Matthew Daly
contributed from Washington.
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