Trump administration to send Saudi civil nuclear deal to Congress

WASHINGTON, United States — WASHINGTON — The Trump administration plans to submit a civil nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia to Congress in the coming days, according to sources familiar with the matter. The "Section 123 Agreement" was signed by U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, and is grounded in Section 123 of the U.S. Atomic Energy Act of 1954. The pact establishes the legal framework for U.S. government agencies and companies to support a multi-billion-dollar Saudi civil nuclear energy program. Sources said the agreement does not include the so-called "gold standard" prohibiting uranium enrichment or reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, nor does it incorporate the International Atomic Energy Agency's additional protocol granting expanded inspection authority. One source noted that while the deal provides a legal structure for cooperation on the nuclear fuel cycle, it does not obligate the United States to transfer any enrichment technology or capacity to Saudi Arabia. Energy Secretary Wright had previously said the preliminary agreement did not involve uranium enrichment and contained non-proliferation standards under U.S. atomic energy law. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has repeatedly stated that Saudi Arabia would pursue nuclear weapons if Iran develops a nuclear bomb. No further details on the congressional review timeline were immediately available.