- Pact expected to boost US nuclear industry.
- Deal lacks nuclear weapons prevention safeguards: sources.
- American firms may build uranium enrichment facility.
WASHINGTON: The United States plans to announce an agreement with Saudi Arabia on Wednesday that would give Riyadh a civilian nuclear programme, according to media reports, amid renewed fighting between the Gulf oil giant and Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Citing two unnamed US officials, the New York Times reported Tuesday the Trump administration plans to formally sign and announce the deal with the Saudis on Wednesday.
President Donald Trump’s administration said the deal will provide billions of dollars for the US nuclear industry.
The Trump administration plans to submit to Congress in the coming days the pact with Saudi Arabia that does not include safeguards the US has said would stop materials being used in nuclear weapons programmes, two sources told Reuters.
The sources said the administration will submit to Congress a document known as a 123 Agreement signed by US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and the Saudi Minister of Energy Abdulaziz bin Salman.
The two signed a preliminary agreement in Riyadh last year.
A provision in the deal, which would last 30 years, would have American companies build a uranium enrichment facility in Saudi Arabia if a joint study determined it warranted, the Wall Street Journal reported.
But some US lawmakers from both parties and Israeli officials have voiced opposition to a civilian nuclear project for Saudi Arabia, over fears it could be converted to eventually develop nuclear weapons.
The deal is expected to be submitted to Congress in the coming days, but their approval is not required for it to go through, AFP reported.
With renewed fighting between the United States and Iran, Houthis threatened to expand the war this week, announcing they would blockade Saudi ports.
Saudi Arabia and the Houthis traded fire last week for the first time in years, threatening a 2022 truce, but the rebels have largely remained on the sidelines since Israel and the United States attacked Iran in late February.
