US President Donald Trump is heading to Saudi Arabia this week, marking his first visit to the kingdom since his second term. The US is “very excited” about the prospect of helping Saudi Arabia develop its own civil nuclear program.
The plan could bring big business for American companies and reduce the chances of China or Russia becoming Saudi Arabia’s partners in nuclear energy. But there are concerns especially over Saudi Arabia’s push to enrich its own uranium. Experts fear that could lead to new nuclear tensions in the region.
US ready to move forward, says Energy Secretary
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright visited Saudi Arabia ahead of Trump’s trip. Wright told AP, “The world can expect to see meaningful developments” this year on civil nuclear cooperation with the Saudis.
He added, “We’re very excited about the opportunity.”
But nuclear experts say not to expect major announcements just yet. Jon Alterman, a Middle East expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, told AP that even small steps could send a message. “There would be a lot of ways to show progress toward an agreement on a Saudi nuclear programme without fully committing to a partnership on it,” Alterman said.
Why Saudi Arabia wants nuclear energy
Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s biggest oil producers. But it also uses a large part of its oil for local energy, such as running air conditioners. That reduces the amount of oil it can export. Nuclear power could help solve that.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is also promoting local mining, including uranium which is used to fuel nuclear reactors.
A deal with Saudi Arabia would be important for US companies. And many countries would support it, according to Hasan Alhasan, a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Bahrain. He told AP, “If the US doesn’t provide it, then someone else will.”
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Concerns over nuclear weapons
In 2018, Prince Mohammed said in an interview that if Iran developed a nuclear weapon, “we would follow suit as soon as possible.”
That statement and others like it have raised worries. Some fear that Saudi Arabia might not only want nuclear energy but also nuclear weapons.
Saudi officials say they are now focusing on diplomacy with Iran. But their earlier comments still raise questions.
Uranium enrichment a key issue
Saudi Arabia has asked the US to help it enrich uranium inside the kingdom. Enrichment can create fuel for nuclear power plants but with the right equipment, it can also be used to make nuclear bombs.
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The Trump administration says the Saudis want to use their own uranium deposits. But the Nuclear Energy Agency has said that the uranium found so far in Saudi Arabia would be “severely uneconomic” to use.
It would be a major change in US policy to allow another country especially one that doesn’t have nuclear weapons to host enrichment technology. Robert Einhorn, a former US official, wrote in a Brookings Institution paper that doing so could lead to more countries wanting to do the same.
Talks linked to wider regional goals
Under former President Joe Biden, the US had tied nuclear cooperation to other talks. These included possible US security guarantees for Saudi Arabia, a new arms deal, and progress for Palestinians.
There was also a push to get Saudi Arabia to recognise Israel as part of the Abraham Accords a series of agreements between Israel and Arab states.
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The Trump administration seems to be treating the nuclear issue separately now. But experts like Alterman say it may still be used as leverage to reach a wider deal.
After Wright’s trip, some Israeli officials told AP they were against the idea of allowing Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium. Both Iran and Saudi Arabia are watching each other’s talks with the US very closely.