22/07/2026 22:17 - Internacionales
According to reports from sources like Infobae, CNN en Español, and The New York Times, the governments of the United States and Saudi Arabia officially signed a historic civil nuclear cooperation agreement on Wednesday, July 22, 2026. The signing was led by US Secretary of Energy, Chris Wright, and Saudi Energy Minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman.
The convention, which has a duration of 30 years, opens the door for the kingdom to build its own uranium enrichment plant intended for civil reactors. The plan involves US companies in the development of the Saudi atomic program and must be submitted to the US Congress for mandatory review.
The signed pact is formally known as the 123 Agreement, referring to Section 123 of the US Atomic Energy Act of 1954. This legally binding framework regulates the transfer of US nuclear technology abroad and seeks to guarantee the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.
According to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the United States will not reach any agreement that leads to the risk of proliferation. However, experts like Alexander Bollfrass of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London called the pact revolutionary, as it would transfer highly sensitive technology without requiring maximum international oversight controls.
In 2009, the United Arab Emirates signed a similar agreement with Washington to build the Barakah plant. On that occasion, the UAE expressly renounced uranium enrichment and signed the Additional Protocol of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a model considered the gold standard.
Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, has historically resisted any clause forcing it to renounce the complete nuclear fuel cycle. The new agreement does not require the kingdom to sign the IAEA Additional Protocol but instead includes a bilateral safeguards agreement with limited inspections, respecting Saudi sovereignty over its real and religious sites.
The US Department of Energy highlighted that the partnership will mark the beginning of decades-long cooperation worth billions of dollars. It will greatly benefit the US nuclear industry, particularly Westinghouse, to which the Trump administration allocated loans of $17.5 billion to build new plants.
For Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sees this agreement as a way to diversify its energy matrix toward future technologies while securing a key strategic alliance in the region.
The announcement comes at a crucial moment, while the United States maintains an armed conflict with Iran to dismantle its nuclear program. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman previously stated that Saudi Arabia would seek to develop nuclear capabilities if Iran were to obtain an atomic bomb, and has the backing of a mutual defense pact signed with Pakistan in September 2025.
Despite concerns from some Israeli figures and US lawmakers, the Trump administration is confident the pact will consolidate a distinct security architecture in the Middle East. For the agreement to enter into force, Congress must not pass joint resolutions of rejection with veto power. If successful, the kingdom will be prohibited from developing or purchasing enrichment technology from other countries for a decade, keeping the United States as its main partner in energy development.
Alfredo S. Quiroga
