Trump's Saudi Nuclear Deal Drops Key Safeguards
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- Trump administration is preparing to send Congress a 123 civil nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia that omits the Additional Protocol and the 'Gold Standard' pledge not to enrich uranium — guardrails included in most other U.S. nuclear cooperation deals
- The proposed agreement would center U.S. technology and industry in Saudi Arabia's nuclear program, and the administration's November report to Congress assured lawmakers bilateral safeguards would suffice to prevent militarization
- Arms control groups, most Democrats, and some Republicans — including Secretary of State Marco Rubio when he was a senator — have long pushed for enrichment bans and full IAEA inspections in any Saudi deal
- Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told Fox News in 2023 that if Iran developed a nuclear weapon, Saudi Arabia would be forced to pursue one, and Pakistan has signaled its nuclear program could be made available to Riyadh under their defense pact
- Feb. 22 was the first day the administration could formally transmit the agreement to Congress, roughly 90 days after its initial report; unless both chambers pass opposing resolutions within 90 days of receipt, the deal takes effect automatically
- The agreement arrives as the U.S. and Israel launched weekend airstrikes on Iran partly over its nuclear program — a juxtaposition critics have flagged as contradictory for U.S. non-proliferation policy
Why it matters: If Congress doesn't pass opposing resolutions within 90 days of receiving the formal text, the deal takes effect by default — meaning a civil nuclear agreement with no enrichment ban or full Additional Protocol inspections could become U.S. policy without a single floor vote. The timing sharpens the stakes: the administration is simultaneously striking Iran over nuclear concerns while offering Saudi Arabia a nuclear pathway with weaker guardrails than the standard U.S. template.
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