On Wednesday, July 23rd, 2026, the US Department of Energy announced that its secretary, Chris Wright, and Saudi counterpart Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman signed a "peaceful nuclear cooperation agreement" along with a "bilateral safeguards agreement" with Saudi Arabia. This landmark deal could permit Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium domestically in the future.

The agreement comes as the US is engaged in a conflict with Iran, partly aimed at preventing Tehran from enriching uranium within its borders. The Trump administration hailed the deal, which marks a significant development in US-Saudi nuclear relations and raises concerns about nuclear proliferation in the region.

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