President Donald Trump has approved a civil nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia that could permit the kingdom to enrich uranium on its own soil, according to multiple US media reports citing unnamed administration officials. The deal, which the New York Times and Wall Street Journal report is to be formally announced and signed on Wednesday, is structured to last 30 years and is estimated to be worth tens of billions of dollars. It would grant American companies a leading role in developing Saudi Arabia’s nuclear infrastructure, including the potential construction of a uranium enrichment facility if a joint US-Saudi feasibility study concludes such a project is warranted. The agreement is expected to be submitted to Congress for review in the coming days, though the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse note that congressional approval is not required for it to take effect.

Viewed from Washington, the Trump administration frames the pact as a commercial and strategic opportunity. Officials cited by the Wall Street Journal argue that the US role will provide oversight of Saudi nuclear ambitions and prevent the programme from being diverted to military use. The deal is also seen as a way to shut out competitors: the Journal reports it is designed to exclude foreign rivals such as Russia and China from the kingdom’s nuclear sector. Former State Department official Robert Einhorn, quoted by the same newspaper, said the agreement could “revitalise the US nuclear industry, strengthen US-Saudi relations, and deny Russia and China a strategic role in the Saudi nuclear programme,” while warning that insufficient restrictions on enrichment could increase proliferation risks in the Middle East and beyond.

Saudi Arabia has long sought access to nuclear technology, arguing it needs civilian atomic energy to reduce domestic oil consumption and free up crude for export. The kingdom insists its intentions are peaceful, yet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has repeatedly stated that Saudi Arabia would seek its own nuclear weapon if Iran were to acquire one. The New York Times and other outlets report that the agreement does not include the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Additional Protocol, which would grant inspectors broader access to verify nuclear activities. This omission, along with the absence of the so-called “gold standard” prohibition on enrichment and reprocessing that the United Arab Emirates accepted in its own nuclear deal with Washington, has drawn criticism from non-proliferation experts and from lawmakers in both US parties, as well as from Israeli officials who fear a civilian programme could eventually be converted to military purposes.

The announcement comes amid heightened regional tensions. The United States and Israel are engaged in military operations against Iran, partly aimed at curtailing Tehran’s nuclear programme, while Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have threatened to expand the conflict by blockading Saudi ports. The deal also marks a departure from the approach of the Biden administration, which, according to the Wall Street Journal, had linked nuclear cooperation to Saudi normalisation with Israel. The agreement is expected to be signed by US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, and will then be sent to Congress, where opponents would need a veto-proof two-thirds majority to block it.