Nuclear Proliferation — 2026-08-31

Trump Administration Transmits Classified US-Saudi Nuclear 123 Agreement to Congress Permitting Enrichment Without IAEA Additional Protocol

BLUFCongress very likely will not block the Saudi enrichment pathway before the 90-day window closes in late November, leaving the Abraham Accords contingency as the sole effective gate on the deal.

The Trump administration transmitted the signed US-Saudi Section 123 nuclear cooperation agreement to Congress on Monday, triggering a 90-day review period under the Atomic Energy Act 12. Multiple congressional aides and sources told CNN and ABC News the full text was submitted as a classified package, a step two sources familiar with the process called unprecedented for a 123 agreement 1. Energy Secretary Chris Wright confirmed the deal provides Riyadh a pathway to enrich uranium on Saudi soil pending a joint US-Saudi study, without requiring Saudi Arabia to adopt the IAEA's Additional Protocol; IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said the agency's Board of Governors must still review and approve the accompanying safeguards arrangement 1. An administration official told CNN and ABC the deal remains contingent on Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords, a condition Trump added after the agreement was finalized on July 22 12.

Analysis
The classified transmission shifts the enrichment fight from IAEA review to a congressional clock Riyadh cannot control: blocking the deal requires a two-thirds override in both chambers within the Atomic Energy Act's 90-day window. Congress very likely will not pass a joint resolution of disapproval within that window, by November 29, leaving the enrichment pathway intact absent the Additional Protocol. That judgment carries high confidence, given the supermajority threshold required to override a presidential certification and the lack of any coordinated leadership push against comparable 123 agreements. The Abraham Accords contingency Trump added after signing, not the nonproliferation debate on Capitol Hill, will determine whether the administration ever finalizes what Congress declines to stop.

4 sources

Trump admin sends Saudi nuclear deal that includes enrichment pathway to Congress - CNN
Trump administration sends Saudi nuclear deal to Congress, but says still contingent on Saudi joining Abraham Accords - ABC News
Trump Administration Sends Secretive U.S.-Saudi Nuclear Deal to Congress for Review - Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Trump sends Saudi civil nuclear agreement to Congress for review - France 24