by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) — U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Sunday in Riyadh that the U.S. is close to a landmark energy deal with Saudi Arabia to develop its civil nuclear industry, with a preliminary agreement expected soon.
Wright confirmed that the U.S. plans to sign a broad energy cooperation agreement within weeks, with a nuclear deal expected in the coming months.
“I think in the short run, we’ll sign a broader agreement about cooperation across the energy space, in partnerships, in investments, in investigations. Nuclear is certainly one of those areas,” Wright told Al-Arabiya News.
“To get a specific agreement to partner on commercial nuclear development in Saudi Arabia, that’ll take a little bit longer, that’ll be months, not weeks, but you’re gonna get there. I think it’s likely,” he added.
Wright noted that Saudi Arabia has yet to accept the non-proliferation conditions required under the U.S. Atomic Energy Act, which includes nine safeguards to prevent nuclear weapons development or material transfer.
“For a U.S. partnership and involvement in nuclear here, there will definitely be a 123 agreement … there’s lots of ways to structure a deal that will accomplish both the Saudi objectives and the American objectives,” he said.
A 123 agreement with Riyadh refers to Section 123 of the U.S. Atomic Energy Act of 1954, which is required for the U.S. government and American companies to collaborate with Saudi entities on developing a civil nuclear industry.
In the past, talks had stalled over Riyadh’s refusal to rule out uranium enrichment or fuel reprocessing—key steps toward a bomb.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has said that if Iran acquires a nuclear weapon, Saudi Arabia would pursue one as well, raising concerns among arms control advocates and some U.S. lawmakers about a potential civil nuclear deal.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure have delayed Tehran’s nuclear ambitions by up to two years, according to the Pentagon’s chief spokesperson, who briefed reporters Wednesday on the aftermath of the operation.
President Donald Trump announced a sweeping new trade agreement with Vietnam on Wednesday that imposes steep tariffs on imports but grants the U.S. full access to Vietnamese markets–a move Trump hailed as a “Great Deal of Cooperation” and a major breakthrough in ongoing global trade negotiations.
In a speech during a visit to the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon on Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Hamas’ rule over Gaza would come to an end, asserting that the terror organization would be “eliminated down to its very foundations.”
A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives introduced new legislation this week that would grant President Donald Trump the authority to provide Israel with access to B-2 stealth bombers and bunker-busting bombs, should Iran resume efforts to develop nuclear weapons.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a controversial law on Wednesday suspending all cooperation with the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), marking a major escalation in Tehran’s standoff with the West following last month’s war with Israel.
A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 520,000 Haitian immigrants, siding with plaintiffs who claimed the decision was both unlawful and harmful.
A wave of internal opposition is threatening President Donald Trump’s top legislative priority, the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” as key factions within the House Republican conference reject the Senate-passed version ahead of a critical vote expected this week.