U.S. President Donald Trump has officially approved a "monumental" agreement that potentially allows Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium, the Wall Street Journal reported on the 21st local time.

According to the newspaper, the nuclear cooperation agreement (known as a 123 Agreement) includes provisions for U.S. companies to build uranium enrichment facilities on Saudi territory if feasibility is proven through "joint U.S.-Saudi research."

It is extremely rare for the United States to permit spent nuclear fuel reprocessing and uranium enrichment through a nuclear agreement.

Such permissions have been granted only to a few countries, such as major European nations like France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, as well as Japan, under the condition of strict and intensive inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The Wall Street Journal explained that the agreement, which will remain in effect for the next 30 years, is estimated to be worth tens of billions of dollars and is designed so that U.S. companies will play a central role while foreign companies are excluded.

It added that President Trump gave final approval for the agreement late last week, and the signing ceremony is scheduled for the 22nd in the presence of the energy ministers of both countries.

U.S. officials argue that this will secure American influence over Saudi Arabia's nuclear program and prevent it from being misused for military purposes, according to the newspaper.

The agreement is set to be submitted to Congress for review within days, and it is expected to spark enough controversy to potentially trigger a nuclear arms race in the already volatile Middle East.

Regarding this, Reuters reported on the 22nd that the energy ministers of both countries have already signed the agreement, and that the Trump administration will submit the nuclear pact—sharing nuclear technology with Saudi Arabia—to Congress within days.

At the same time, it pointed out that "the agreement does not include safeguards," noting that "the U.S. government has previously stated that safeguards prevent nuclear materials from being diverted to nuclear weapons programs."

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)