The Trump administration sent a 30-year nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia to Congress this week, initiating a formal 90-day review period. The deal, originally announced in July, would allow U.S. companies to assist in developing Saudi Arabia’s civil nuclear infrastructure. According to an administration official, President Trump has set a condition that the agreement will only proceed if Saudi Arabia joins the Abraham Accords, a series of diplomatic normalization agreements.
The submission follows the signing of the deal on July 22 by U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman. The agreement is governed by Section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act, which outlines the requirements for nuclear cooperation between the United States and foreign nations. Unlike traditional treaties, this agreement does not require a two-thirds majority vote in the Senate to be enacted.
Under the review process, the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee have 90 days to evaluate the proposal. If Congress does not pass a joint resolution to reject the deal within this timeframe, the agreement will automatically take effect. The proposal has met with opposition from some lawmakers and non-proliferation experts who expressed concern that the accord could eventually lead to the development of nuclear weapons in the region.
Lawmakers such as Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) argue the deal lacks the "Gold Standard" of non-proliferation, which would explicitly ban uranium enrichment and reprocessing. Without these specific safeguards, Markey and other critics suggest Saudi Arabia could potentially use the infrastructure for military purposes. If the deal moves forward without a joint resolution of disapproval, it would establish a precedent for civil nuclear cooperation that allows for domestic uranium enrichment, a point of contention for those seeking to limit the spread of nuclear-weapon-capable technology.
The 90-day review period is currently active, during which the House and Senate committees will hold hearings or consider resolutions of disapproval. The specific expiration date of the 90-day window was not reported, but the outcome depends on whether a majority of Congress votes to block the measure. Additionally, the administration maintains that the final implementation remains contingent on Saudi Arabia's future participation in the Abraham Accords.