US dropped 'gold standard' from Saudi nuclear deal despite using Iran's enrichment as war justification

The United States has drawn international concern over its nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia, after omitting the very safeguards it cited as justification for potential military action against Iran — namely, preventing uranium enrichment and blocking nuclear inspections.

Reuters reported Wednesday that the US-Saudi nuclear agreement includes neither the "gold standard" nor an additional protocol for enhanced international oversight. The gold standard is the strictest nonproliferation clause in US nuclear cooperation agreements, under which the partner country explicitly commits to forgoing uranium enrichment and the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel. Both processes are pathways to producing weapons-grade material. By prohibiting them, the gold standard serves as the benchmark for fully blocking the diversion of nuclear material into weapons.

Saudi Arabia is already a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and has previously agreed to international inspections. The nuclear agreement is also part of the kingdom's broader effort to cut carbon emissions and increase the share of domestically produced oil available for export. However, Saudi Arabia has long stated that it would pursue nuclear weapons if Iran developed them, and analysts in Washington have suggested that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's push for nuclear power carries national ambitions beyond decarbonization. Previous US administrations had sought additional safeguards from Riyadh, but the Trump administration chose not to include them in the agreement.

Another concern in Washington is that while many countries pursuing nuclear power import reactor fuel rather than enriching it domestically, Saudi Arabia has stated its intention to enrich its own uranium.

The international community warned that the US-Saudi nuclear deal could trigger a cascade of Middle Eastern countries launching their own nuclear programs. Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy posted on X, formerly Twitter, shortly after the deal was announced: "This will set off a nuclear arms race in the Middle East and give Iran even less incentive to limit its nuclear program." The deal could also significantly weaken Washington's leverage in nuclear negotiations with Tehran. Saudi Arabia's nuclear development has been repeatedly opposed by Israel, a close US ally. With both Iran — Israel's adversary — and Saudi Arabia, which maintains a rivalry with Israel, moving toward nuclear weapons development through uranium enrichment and other means, Israel faces a significant threat.

While the deal positions American companies favorably in bidding for Saudi Arabia's nuclear power development, Washington also views as a liability the prospect of foreign competitors moving in if US firms fail to deliver. China National Nuclear Corp., a state-owned enterprise, reportedly submitted a bid for nuclear power plant construction in 2023. Russia's state nuclear company Rosatom, which built a nuclear power plant in Egypt, has also signed a preliminary cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia. South Korea and France, which built reactors in the UAE, are also considered potential competitors.

Reuters identified the key issues likely to shape congressional approval of the deal as whether the US will agree to allow uranium enrichment facilities to be built on Saudi soil, when such construction might occur if approved, and whether Saudi personnel would have access to those facilities. Even if an enrichment facility were built inside Saudi Arabia, it could operate in a "black box" format, run entirely by an American company with US staff only. One source told Reuters that the agreement does not obligate the United States to transfer relevant technology or capabilities to Saudi Arabia.