US-Saudi Nuclear Deal Drops Key Enrichment and Inspection Safeguards

The United States has reached a nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia that omits two critical safeguards Washington has historically demanded from partner nations. The deal does not include a ban on uranium enrichment or spent fuel reprocessing, which are standard restrictions meant to prevent the development of nuclear weapons. It also lacks an 'additional protocol,' a mechanism that enables stricter international inspections of nuclear facilities. The absence of these provisions has raised concerns among nonproliferation experts about the risks of nuclear technology spreading in the Middle East. The agreement marks a significant shift in how the US approaches nuclear cooperation agreements with regional partners.