Amid a war against Iran that President Donald Trump claims to be fighting to prevent nuclear proliferation, his administration recently agreed to a civilian nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia that could lay the groundwork for the kingdom to develop its own bomb. Announced on July 22, the so-called 123 Agreement—named after the provision of the 1954 Atomic Energy Act that lays out the rules for transferring and storing nuclear material—would allow for the export of U.S. nuclear technology to the kingdom and leave the door open for it to enrich nuclear material on its own territory.
Most other 123 deals the U.S. has made include more stringent safeguards, and Riyadh would not have to sign on to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Additional Protocol, as the UAE did in 2009. That deal is considered the “gold standard” because the UAE renounced the right to build domestic enrichment facilities and agreed to the IAEA’s strict and intrusive inspections regime. The Saudi nuclear deal has neither of those requirements.
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