U.S. and Saudi Arabia Sign Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement

▲ Energy Secretary Chris Wright (left) and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman

The U.S. administration under Donald Trump signed a nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia on the 22nd (local time).

In a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, the U.S. Department of Energy announced, "Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman signed a peaceful nuclear cooperation agreement, commonly known as a '123 Agreement,' along with an accompanying bilateral safeguards agreement."

The department explained, "The 123 Agreement will benefit U.S. businesses, workers, and supply chains by enabling broad participation by American companies in Saudi Arabia's nuclear energy program, while also contributing to Saudi Arabia's energy needs."

It added, "These two agreements promote U.S. and regional security by upholding high standards of nuclear safety, security, and nonproliferation, and by strengthening America's competitive edge in the civil nuclear technology sector."

The Department of Energy expects the agreement to bring about several benefits, including ▲ expanding U.S. exports of nuclear technology, ▲ creating high-paying American jobs and long-term economic growth, ▲ strengthening the U.S. energy and national security posture, ▲ reinforcing global nonproliferation standards, and ▲ bolstering the strategic partnership between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.

The department also noted that the newly signed agreement "will be submitted to Congress for review."

Regarding the agreement, U.S. media outlets have previously pointed out that a nuclear pact between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia could potentially allow Saudi Arabia to enrich and reprocess its own nuclear materials, thereby opening the door to the production of weapons-grade nuclear material and potentially sending ripples through the Middle East.

However, the U.S. Department of Energy's statement that day did not specifically include details regarding enrichment and reprocessing by Saudi Arabia.

(Photo: Yonhap News)

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