The United States and Saudi Arabia signed a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, with US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman putting their signatures to both a peaceful nuclear cooperation accord and a bilateral safeguards agreement, the US Department of Energy announced. The Trump administration described the partnership as 'decades-long, multi-billion-dollar' and said it is subject to congressional review under Section 123 of the US Atomic Energy Act.
The agreement breaks from previous US nuclear sharing deals that expressly barred uranium enrichment, according to reporting by Bloomberg. Under the terms described by CNN and the Wall Street Journal, Saudi Arabia would be prohibited from developing its own enrichment technology or purchasing it from other countries for a decade, but a joint US-Saudi team would explore whether enrichment is warranted and commercially viable thereafter, with any facility built by Americans without the transfer of sensitive technology to Riyadh. A day after signing, President Trump wrote on Truth Social that the deal would not permit the Saudis to enrich uranium, stating 'There will be no enrichment of material!' [Source: CNBC]. Trump also said the deal is 'totally subject' to Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords to normalise relations with Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said 'Saudi Arabia's joining of the Abraham Accords would be an historic leap forward for peace in the Middle East' [Source: CBS News].
The agreement is expected to steer reactor contracts to Westinghouse Electric Company, whose AP1000 large reactor is a key technology in the deal's provisions requiring US firms to be contracted for nuclear work. Westinghouse's CEO described the agreement as a 'landmark step' that will strengthen energy security and expand opportunities for US industry [Source: CNBC]. Westinghouse is privately held, owned by Canadian uranium miner Cameco (CCJ) and Brookfield. The accord would also allow BWXT (BWXT), Centrus Energy (LEU), Bechtel, and other companies to sell sensitive nuclear equipment to Saudi Arabia. Cameco had identified Saudi Arabia as a potential opportunity for Westinghouse's AP1000 technology in its FY2025 40-F filing [Source: SEC filing - Cameco Corp Form 40-F]. The agreement is expected to reduce Russian and Chinese influence in Saudi Arabia's civilian nuclear sector.
The deal carries significant nonproliferation implications. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has previously pledged to seek a nuclear weapon if Iran were ever to produce one. The signing came while Washington is engaged in a military conflict with Iran aimed at forcing Tehran to renounce its nuclear ambitions, and Iran retains a stockpile of enriched uranium. Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut wrote on social media that the agreement 'will set off a nuclear race in the region, further disincentivizing Iran from limiting its own program' [Source: CNBC]. Energy Secretary Wright said the agreements 'uphold the highest standards of nuclear safety and nonproliferation, while relying on the world's best nuclear technology and scientists, designed right here in the United States' [Source: Time].
Historically, the US has insisted that partners accepting civilian nuclear technology forgo domestic enrichment. The 2009 123 agreement with the United Arab Emirates, in which the UAE agreed to forgo enriching uranium domestically or reprocessing spent atomic fuel, established what became known as the 'gold standard' for such deals. Saudi Arabia has rejected that standard. Under the Biden administration, a civil nuclear cooperation deal was envisioned as part of a broader agreement formalising diplomatic relations between Riyadh and Israel, with a framework described as requiring US-only enrichment at a US-controlled facility. Negotiations on the legal foundation for the current partnership were completed in November 2025, when bin Salman visited Trump at the White House. The text of the signed agreement had not been publicly released at the time of reporting, and Saudi Arabia had not publicly responded to Trump's Truth Social post.
Sources: The Guardian, CNBC, Bloomberg, CBS News, BBC News, CNN, Time, The Epoch Times, Detroit News, SEC filing - Cameco Corp Form 40-F