U.S. Reaches Landmark Nuclear Deal With Saudi Arabia

Washington has reached a watershed civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia, the U.S. Energy Department announced Wednesday, which could pave the way for uranium enrichment in the kingdom.Details of the deal are sparse, though what the Trump Administration has described as a “decades-long, multi-billion-dollar” partnership is subject to review by Congress, which could oppose it over its potential to start a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.The U.S. and Saudi Arabia have been working on the deal for years, both during Donald Trump’s first presidency and that of his successor, Joe Biden. The Wall Street Journal first reported that Trump formally approved the deal last week.The deal also comes as the Trump Administration continues to pressure Saudi Arabia’s longstanding regional rival Iran to give up its enriched uranium stockpiles and curb the development of its nuclear program. Iran has repeatedly insisted that its nuclear program is peaceful.Saudi Arabia has long pushed for building a domestic uranium enrichment facility as part of any nuclear cooperation deal with the U.S. Critics and nonproliferation groups, however, have warned that such a deal could facilita...