Middle East — 2026-07-22

Trump Approves Nuclear Deal Allowing Saudi Arabia to Enrich Uranium

BLUFCongressional review will likely determine by mid-August whether Saudi Arabia gains a domestic enrichment pathway that reshapes Gulf nonproliferation precedent for a generation.

President Trump has approved an agreement with Saudi Arabia that could allow the kingdom uranium enrichment capability for its civilian nuclear program, according to two people familiar with the matter cited by AP 1234. The Wall Street Journal, citing U.S. officials, first reported the approval and put the deal's value at tens of billions of dollars, designed to give American firms a central role while shutting out foreign competitors 12. The deal is expected to run 30 years and permit a Saudi enrichment facility following a joint U.S.-Saudi study, with public announcement expected as early as Wednesday 12. The Boston Globe reports the agreement is expected to go to Congress for review and, per one source, will not include the IAEA's Additional Protocol for enhanced monitoring and inspections 2. The White House and Saudi officials in Riyadh had not responded to requests for comment as of Tuesday night 12.

Analysis
Trump's approval, reported by AP through two anonymous sources and amplified nearly verbatim across Washington Times, Boston Globe, U.S. News, and The Hill, hardens Sunday's tentative-agreement reporting into a claimed presidential decision, with public confirmation likely by mid-August given the Wednesday announcement timeline both AP and the Journal cite. Congressional review, not IAEA safeguards, will govern the deal's fate: without the Additional Protocol, the enrichment fight shifts from Riyadh to Capitol Hill, where nonproliferation-minded lawmakers face a 30-year commitment granting Saudi Arabia a domestic enrichment pathway the UAE forwent, sharpened by Pakistan's parallel nuclear-umbrella pledge to Riyadh. Moderate confidence reflects convergent sourcing from people familiar with the matter, though neither the White House nor Saudi officials have confirmed terms, leaving open the possibility the announcement slips or terms remain unfinalized. If confirmed, Congress gains a disapproval-resolution trigger against a deal lacking enhanced inspections; if it stalls, that procedural opening disappears.
4 sources
  1. Trump OKs nuclear deal that may allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium - Washington Times
  2. Trump approves nuclear agreement that may allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium, two AP sources say - The Boston Globe
  3. Trump Approves Nuclear Agreement That May Allow Saudi Arabia to Enrich Uranium, Two AP Sources Say - U.S. News & World Report
  4. Trump approves nuclear agreement that may allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium, two AP sources say - The Hill

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