The United States and Saudi Arabia have signed a 30-year nuclear agreement under which Washington will help the Gulf kingdom develop a civilian nuclear program.

The deal was sealed on Wednesday when US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman signed a nuclear cooperation “123 agreement”, which permits US companies to transfer nuclear technology abroad.

Details of the agreement remain undisclosed. Analysts have raised concerns about whether it has sufficient safeguards to prevent a nuclear arms race in the volatile Middle East.

Both the US and Saudi Arabia are signatories to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). However, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was not involved in the bilateral agreement. Saudi Arabia is also not a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters, “The US is not going to reach any agreement with any country in the world that leads to the risk of proliferation.”

The agreement will now be submitted to Congress for a 90-day review period, after which it is expected to automatically enter into force despite potential opposition from lawmakers.

The deal comes amid US and Israeli wars against Iran. The US conducted airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities in 2025 and launched another war in February 2026.

Source: www.aljazeera.com