BlockBeats News, July 22nd. According to WSJ, U.S. President Trump has approved a 30-year civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia. The deal, estimated to be worth tens of billions of dollars, will support Saudi Arabia's civilian nuclear energy program and potentially pave the way for its future domestic uranium enrichment activities.

Under the agreement, U.S. companies will play a key role in Saudi Arabia's nuclear infrastructure development. The two sides will also conduct a two-year joint study to assess the commercial viability of domestic uranium enrichment in Saudi Arabia. If deemed necessary, the U.S. will construct the uranium enrichment facility in a "black box" mode to prevent sensitive technology proliferation and ensure that enriched uranium and spent fuel will not be used for military purposes.

The agreement also stipulates that if the U.S. ultimately disagrees with advancing the uranium enrichment project, Saudi Arabia may not independently or in cooperation with other countries engage in uranium enrichment activities for the next 10 years.

Reports indicate that Westinghouse Electric is likely to be a major beneficiary, with its AP1000 nuclear reactor expected to be a key choice for the Saudi nuclear power project.

However, the agreement has raised concerns about the risk of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East. Critics point out that allowing Saudi Arabia to develop uranium enrichment capabilities could incentivize other regional countries to pursue similar technologies. Saudi Arabia has previously refused to accept the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) more stringent Additional Protocol verification mechanism, further fueling external suspicions.

The agreement is expected to be submitted to the U.S. Congress for review soon. Meanwhile, the U.S. continues to demand that Iran restrict its nuclear program and surrender its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Observers believe that while the U.S. is pressuring Iran on one hand, supporting Saudi Arabia's civilian nuclear program on the other hand could raise questions about policy consistency. The Trump administration has stated that as long as the Saudi nuclear project remains under strict oversight, there is no contradiction between the two.