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 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
Nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran are scheduled for Thursday in Geneva, marking the third round of indirect talks this month as tensions continue to mount across the Middle East.
The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, arrived off Israel’s coast on Monday, marking a significant escalation in U.S. military deployments to the region as Washington and Jerusalem prepare for the possibility of renewed conflict with Iran.
The Trump administration is preparing a new wave of national security tariffs after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down many of President Donald Trump’s second-term levies, the Wall Street Journal reported.
A federal appeals court has ruled that Louisiana may begin enforcing its law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms, marking a significant victory for supporters of religious liberty and America’s historic foundations.
More than 10,000 flights were canceled nationwide between Feb. 22 and Feb. 24 as a powerful nor’easter slammed the East Coast with heavy snow, damaging winds, and coastal flooding, paralyzing travel and prompting emergency declarations across multiple states.
Greenland and Denmark have publicly rejected U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s suggestion that an American naval hospital ship be sent to the Arctic island, saying their universal healthcare system already provides free treatment to all citizens.
A 33-year-old man in eastern Uganda was allegedly killed by his Muslim father after converting to Christianity, local sources said, in what church leaders describe as part of a broader pattern of faith-related violence in the African nation.