What Do We Know about the US' Nuclear Deal with Saudi Arabia? | BBC News

July 23, 2026 | The US and Saudi Arabia have signed a landmark deal that will reportedly allow the Gulf kingdom to develop a civilian nuclear programme.

The deal is described as a "peaceful nuclear co-operation agreement" that will provide "great access for American companies in the Saudi nuclear energy program", according to the US energy department.

Text from the deal was not made public, but US media have reported that it could allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium in the future - which can be used as fuel for power plants, but also to make nuclear bombs.

Experts say that would mark a first for the US and could run the risk of future nuclear proliferation in an already unstable region.


Watching MBS and Trump pawing each other and smiling at each other like hyenas is really quite sickening. Two queer bros wouldn’t make more of a song and dance together! It all comes over like a felons’ fest! By the way, one can but wonder how many billions Trump is going to make for himself and his family from this ridiculous deal? — © Mark Alexander

Trump Makes Major Mistake by 'Throwing a Grenade' into Old Political Firestorm | Sir Bill Browder

July 22, 2026 | Sir Bill Browder joins Maddie Hale to discuss reports the Trump administration is preparing to announce a major nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia, Donald Trump reviving threats to target Iran's civilian infrastructure, and new U.S. intelligence suggesting Tehran may be moving thousands of centrifuges into the heavily fortified Pickaxe Mountain facility.

This is the very first time that I disagree with Bill Browder! If Saudi can be trusted with nuclear material, then Iran can and should be trusted with it too. It is absolutely ridiculous to help Saudi Arabia get nuclear material and at the same time be at war costing multiple billions to stop Iran getting the very same material. I am saddened and surprised by Bill Browder’s excuses here. I thought he'd have a better, fairer assessment than this. Further, when push comes to shove, the Iranians are a very sophisticated people. Very well-educated and sophisticated.

By the way, one thing we can be sure of is that Trump and his cronies will be filling their coffers "BIGLY" through these deals with Saudi Arabia. Further, when it comes to corruption, it is difficult to tell who is learning from whom here! — © Mark Alexander

Saudis Reach Deal With U.S. That Could Let Them Enrich Nuclear Fuel

THE NEW YORK TIMES: U.S. lawmakers and Israeli officials have expressed opposition to such a plan, to be announced Wednesday, fearing that the kingdom could use a civilian nuclear project to develop nuclear weapons.

This screenshot is from this NYT article. | President Trump shaking hands with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud at the White House last November. Credit: Kenny Holston/The New York Times
The Trump administration plans to announce Wednesday that it has reached a broad nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia that could lead to the country enriching its own fuel for nuclear reactors, U.S. officials said.

The accord is intended to further bind the United States with the Saudi government as the war with Iran strains the relationship. The Trump administration, according to officials, estimates it will provide billions of dollars for the U.S. nuclear industry — starting with Westinghouse, which designs many of the reactors sold abroad.

The Trump administration plans to formally sign and announce the agreement with the Saudis on Wednesday, said two U.S. officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy. It would announce the details to Congress soon afterward.

Although the agreement likely would have support among many Republicans, some U.S. lawmakers from both parties along with Israeli officials have expressed opposition to such a plan, fearing that the kingdom could use a civilian nuclear project to eventually develop nuclear weapons. » | David E. Sanger, Edward Wong and William J. Broad | David Sanger reported from Washington, Edward Wong from Manila, where he is covering a diplomatic trip by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and William J. Broad from New York. | Tuesday, July 21, 2026

Clearly, Trump has a soft spot for the Saudis! He’s gone to war with the Iranians for the very same thing. Why the double standards? If anything is going to turbocharge this war with Iran, this will! How unwise and foolish can a president be? — © Mark Alexander

L'Iran lance un «ultimatum» aux Occidentaux
«La communauté internationale a juste un mois pour se décider» a déclaré, samedi, le ministre iranien des Affaires étrangères, Manouchehr Mottaki (ici en décembre dernier). Crédits photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: Le pouvoir iranien menace « d'enrichir l'uranium à un niveau supérieur» d'ici à un mois. La France rejette ce qu'elle qualifie de «pirouette» de la part de Téhéran.

Menacé de nouvelles sanctions, l'Iran a donné, ce week-end, un «ultimatum» d'un mois aux grandes puissances pour qu'elles acceptent une contre-proposition à leur offre d'enrichir l'uranium à l'étranger, faute de quoi il poursuivra lui-même sa production. «La communauté internationale a juste un mois pour se décider» à accepter ou non les conditions de Téhéran, a déclaré, samedi, le ministre iranien des Affaires étrangères, Manouchehr Mottaki, cité par la télévision d'État. Sinon, a-t-il prévenu, «Téhéran enrichira l'uranium à un niveau supérieur ». Dans une tentative de clarification, jugée ambiguë par les diplomates occidentaux, le porte-parole du ministère a indiqué dimanche que cette date limite résultait d'un «accord» passé il y a un mois avec l'Occident.

À l'origine de ce jeu de ping-pong compliqué, se trouve la fameuse offre présentée en octobre dernier par l'Agence internationale de l'énergie atomique (AIEA) pour tenter de régler l'imbroglio nucléaire qui oppose Téhéran à la communauté internationale. Cette proposition suggérait à l'Iran d'envoyer en Russie 70 % de ses stocks d'uranium faiblement enrichi (à 3,5 %) afin qu'ils y soient retraités à un peu moins de 20 %, pour être ensuite conditionnés en France et réexpédiés en Iran sous forme de combustible utilisable par le réacteur de recherche civil de Téhéran. Ne pas pénaliser l'opposition >>> Delphine Minoui - Correspondante du Figaro au Moyen-Orient | Lundi 04 Janvier 2010

Nucléaire : l'Iran prend les Occidentaux à contre-pied
LE FIGARO: Téhéran n'a pas repondu à l'offre de l'AIEA et ne souhaiterait plus dialoguer avec les grandes puissances.

L'Iran a infligé un nouveau camouflet à la communauté internationale en omettant vendredi de répondre à la proposition qui lui était faite par l'Agence internationale de l'énergie atomique (AIEA) d'enrichir à l'étranger les trois quarts de son uranium à usage civil. Tout en affirmant étudier «sous un jour favorable» l'offre négociée cette semaine à Vienne avec la France et les États-Unis, Téhéran a indiqué sa préférence pour l'achat à l'étranger d'uranium enrichi. Pire, le régime iranien aurait décidé d'interrompre le dialogue avec les Six (États-Unis, Russie, Chine, Grande-Bretagne, France et Allemagne). «Nous sommes dans une situation de blocage : Téhéran ne veut parler qu'avec l'AIEA», indique un diplomate. >>> Alain Barluet | Vendredi 23 Octobre 2009

A Political Reversal
THE JERUSALEM POST - Opinion: We assess that Teheran is determined to develop nuclear weapons - despite its international obligations and international pressure. It is continuing to pursue uranium enrichment and has shown more interest in protracting negotiations than reaching an acceptable diplomatic solution.

This is a grave concern to the other countries in the region whose security would be threatened by Iranian nuclear weapons.
Any such development could prompt dangerous and destabilizing countermoves in a volatile region that is, because of its energy reserves, critical to the global economy.... - Annual Threat Assessment of the US Director of National Intelligence, January 11, 2007

We assess with moderate confidence Teheran had not restarted its nuclear weapons program as of mid-2007, but we do not know whether it currently intends to develop nuclear weapons. - National Intelligence Estimate, dated November 2007 (released December 3)

If one were looking for a new definition of chutzpa, it would be hard to do better than the latest US National Intelligence Estimate on Iran. This document declares that Iran successfully hid its military nuclear program from the US for years, while claiming "moderate confidence" that Iran is not hiding such a program now.

On what basis can the US intelligence community declare that it knows, with any of degree of confidence, that Iran has no covert weapons program? A political reversal >>>

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