U.S. President Donald Trump approved a nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia that grants the Riyadh administration the right to enrich uranium without international inspections. According to the Wall Street Journal, the arrangement known as the "123 Agreement" does not require comprehensive International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections designed to prevent the development of nuclear weapons.
The agreement was negotiated and finalized in October 2025, but it was awaiting Trump's formal approval. According to Reuters, the Trump administration is expected to submit the deal to Congress for review in the coming days. CNN reported that final approval was given on July 18, 2026.
No IAEA Additional Protocol
The most striking aspect of the arrangement is that it does not require the Additional Protocol, which gives IAEA inspectors broader access to nuclear facilities and facilitates the detection of undeclared nuclear activities. Instead, a bilateral inspection mechanism between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia is envisaged.
Departure from the Gold Standard
This step represents a fundamental departure from Washington's long-standing "gold standard" policy in civilian nuclear cooperation. As CNN recalled, the United Arab Emirates permanently renounced uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing rights in its 2009 nuclear deal with the U.S.
Crown Prince's Statement
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in a 2018 statement that if Iran develops nuclear weapons, Saudi Arabia would follow the same path. Experts warn that this rhetoric, combined with the absence of IAEA Additional Protocol inspections, could open a covert path for Riyadh to achieve weapons-grade enrichment.
Regional Proliferation Risk
Proliferation concerns are not limited to Saudi Arabia's own intentions. Analysts warn that the U.S. providing Saudi Arabia with a nuclear deal without standard safeguards could signal to other nuclear supplier states, including Russia and China, that they can make similar arrangements for their own regional allies. This situation, it is argued, could effectively render the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) dysfunctional.
Congressional Hurdle
Submitting the deal to Congress will trigger a mandatory review process under U.S. law. During this process, lawmakers from both parties have the authority to block the agreement. The Jerusalem Post reported on Wednesday that the deal lacks safeguards.
Same Day as Iran Strikes
Trump's approval coincided with the seventh consecutive night of U.S. airstrikes against Iran over its nuclear program and attacks on commercial vessels. This highlights the contradiction in American Middle East policy: while military action against Iran continues on the grounds of Tehran's uranium enrichment activities, Washington is granting Saudi Arabia comparable enrichment rights through a deal that does not require the inspections it has imposed on Iran as a precondition for any nuclear agreement.
Ridvan Sezer | Editor-in-Chief
