US and Saudi Arabia reach historic nuclear energy deal

The United States said on Wednesday it had signed a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia, alongside a separate bilateral safeguards pact, Report informs via Reuters.

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright signed the agreements with Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman.

The US Energy Department said the agreements would deepen cooperation between Washington and Riyadh in the civilian nuclear energy sector.

"Together, these two agreements lay the legal foundation for a decadeslong, multi-billion-dollar partnership that advances several priority economic and strategic objectives, including nuclear nonproliferation," the US Energy Department said in a statement.

The agreement, known as a 123 Agreement, would allow Saudi Arabia to build nuclear reactors using US technology.

It would also permit the Kingdom to enrich uranium and reprocess nuclear waste, activities that can potentially produce material for nuclear weapons.

However, like all signatories to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Saudi Arabia has already committed to not developing an atomic bomb and consented ‌to international inspections.

The deal, however, does not include an Additional Protocol that would allow the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, to conduct more intrusive inspections at short notice.

The US administration said the agreement complied with non-proliferation requirements under the Atomic Energy Act.