The United States will announce an agreement to allow Saudi Arabia’s nuclear program, according to reports

The United States and Saudi Arabia are expected to announce an agreement that will allow the Gulf state to develop a civilian nuclear program, American media reported.

An announcement from US President Donald Trump’s administration is expected next Wednesday, US officials said.

The deal could be worth billions of dollars to the United States, whose companies could participate in building a facility to produce enriched uranium, which can be used as fuel for power plants, but also makes nuclear bombs.

Nuclear experts and former officials in Israel – a top US ally in the Middle East – say they fear the plan could eventually lead to Saudi Arabia developing nuclear weapons.

The BBC has asked the White House for comment.

According to US media reports, Saudi Arabia may be allowed to enrich uranium on its soil instead of relying on imported fuel after joint research with the US.

That provision differs from another agreement the United States struck with Saudi Arabia’s neighbor the United Arab Emirates in 2009, under which the United Arab Emirates would not produce its own oil and accept a number of other restrictions.

As a result, the deal is expected to draw concerns from nuclear non-proliferation campaigners.

The nuclear issue has been at the center of the US-Israeli conflict with Iran for months. One of the reasons the two countries attacked Iran in February was to prevent the country from developing a nuclear weapon – something Tehran has denied it plans to do.

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman He told CBS News in 2018 that his own country does not plan to acquire nuclear weapons, but if Iran develops a nuclear bomb, we will undoubtedly follow suit as soon as possible.

The US-Saudi deal, which will be announced on Wednesday, has been approved by Trump and will last for 30 years, the Wall Street Journal reported.

If the United States opposes the enrichment of joint research with Saudi Arabia, the kingdom will not be allowed to work on its own or with any foreign partner for 10 years, the newspaper said.

The plan will now be sent to the US Congress. Trump’s Republican Party controls both the upper and lower houses, but some lawmakers on both political lines are expected to oppose the deal.

The US-Saudi agreement is not limited to normalizing the Saudis’ diplomatic relations with Israel, the New York Times reported. The Saudi-Israeli push for normalization has been the wish of successive US presidents.