Wetin dey inside US-Saudi Arabia deal to develop nuclear power
Wia dis foto come from, Win McNamee/Getty Images
Di US and Saudi Arabia go announce deal wey go allow di Gulf kingdom to develop civilian nuclear programme.
Donald Trump administration na im wan announce di deal on Wednesday, according to CBS News, wey be di BBC partner for di US.
Di deal go allow US companies to run nuclear power for di Saudis on Saudi soil for civilian purpose, na wetin tori pipo CBS tok, and e fit give Saudi di ability to enrich dia own fuel for nuclear reactors.
Nuclear experts and former officials for Israel - wey be di US top ally for di Middle East - don tok im mind about dis kain agreement wey fit lead to, or fit make Saudi Arabia to fit develop nuclear weapon
Di deal, wey Wall Street Journal first report, fit last for 30 years, na wetin di newspaper bin tok.
Wetin really dey inside dis deal?
Wia dis foto come from, Bloomberg via Getty Images
Di nuclear deal na commercial agreement for US companies to run nuclear power plants for Saudi Arabia instead of dem to give di technology to di kontri.
Dem bin don dey discuss dis type of nuclear deal for years. Dem bin see am as part of one wider agreement wey for include Saudi diplomatic recognition of Israel.
But, according to reports, US President Donald Trump no make am as one of di conditions of di deal.
Instead, he don reportedly agreed say Saudi Arabia fit dey allowed to enrich uranium on dia own soil, as well as accepting terms wey fit limit international inspectors from accessing nuclear sites for di kontri.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, wen im bin visit Philippines, bin address concerns about di deal.
"Suffice to say, di US no go reach any agreement wit any kontri for di world wey fit lead to di risk of proliferation," im tok.
One similar deal wit di United Arab Emirates, for 2009, bin dey much more restrictive wit tight inspections and no right to produce dia own nuclear fuel.
Dem go need to debate on dis agreement wey dey highly controversial for congress but opponents dey unlikely to dey able to gada enuf votes to defeat President Trump initiative.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia de facto leader, bin tok say im go seek to build nuclear weapons if Iran do am.
According to CBS di deal between US and Saudi Arabia go focus on nuclear power generation.
Saudi Arabia bin generate an estimated 453 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity for 2023, wit 62% from natural gas, 38% from oil, and less dan 1% from renewables, according to data from di US Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Saudi Arabia currently no get any nuclear power plants, but, for September 2023, dia energy minister bin tok about di intention of di kontri to build one.
How pipo for US dey react
Brad Sherman, Democrat representative from California, say di US go only approve a deal if e get di "same gold-standard safeguards as our deal wit di UAE".
Under dat deal for 2009, di UAE no dey produce dia own uranium.
"A President wey dey fight war to no allow nuclear full evriwia for di Middle East no suppose facilitate dis kain tin just becos US companies stand to make profit," Sherman writes on X.
Republican representative Marlin Stutzman tell CNN say im no get any "initial" concern wit di agreement, but im go want to "hear more intelligence".
"You know, di Saudis na really di stable balance for di Middle East", im tok as im describe Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmana as "friend" of di West and America.
Democrat John Garamendi wey tok to CNN describe di deal as "terrible, terrible policy", im add say "we no suppose to eva, eva do dis tin".
"Dem fit make nuclear weapon from enriched uranium. Dis dey really, really bad, bad policy," im tok.
Which kontri get nuclear weapons?
Dis deal wey di US and Saudi Arabia wan announced relate to di generation of nuclear energy - not weapons.
Currently only nine kontris get nuclear weapons. Dis count include Israel, wey many pipo beliv say dem get am but dem no wan confam or deny say dem get nuclear weapons.
Wia dis foto come from, Source: SIPRI Yearbook 2026/BBC
Wen dis nuclear tok-tok really start?
Di tok -tokabout United States and Saudi Arabia to co-operate on civil nuclear programme go back as far as 2008.
Under di Bush administration, di two kontris bin sign one nonbinding memorandum of understanding (MoU), wit di US wey say dem go assist di Gulf kingdom to develop civilian nuclear energy butsay Saudi Arabia don state dia intention to import nuclear fuel and dem no go pursue "sensitive nuclear technologies".
Since dat time see some of di tins wey don happun:
From 2017 to 2019, di bin US grant seven American companies authorisation to engage in "civil nuclear discussions" wit Saudi Arabia
However, for 2020 di US Govment Accountability Office bin report say di two nations bin "no make significant progress" due to "persistent differences" over conditions wey include restrictions on enrichment
For 2022, di US and Saudi bin sign new MoU on "di exchange of technical information and cooperation for nuclear safety matters"
For 2023, di Wall Street Journal bin report say di US bin dey consider one US-run uranium enrichment operation within Saudi Arabia
For November 2025, di US and Saudi Arabia bin sign one joint declaration wey di Trump administration say go "build di legal foundation for one decades-long, multi-billion-dollar nuclear energy partnership"
