The Trump administration just announced that it will help Saudi Arabia develop a civilian nuclear program. That’s a big deal for the region. And the U.S. is willing to drop some key safeguards of previous nuclear agreements — which is also a big deal.

My first thought: This won’t make it any easier to persuade Iran to agree to strict rules on enrichment. My second thought: Israel won’t be happy.

My third thought: I need to call David Sanger, our veteran White House correspondent and in-house nuclear expert. I wanted to ask him about what this development means for nuclear proliferation in the Middle East and beyond. You can read our conversation below.

Understanding the Saudi-U.S. nuclear deal

So, David. Since when have the Saudis wanted nuclear power? Is this new?

They’ve wanted it for years. These talks actually started in President Trump’s first term. They continued under President Biden, when the idea was to allow the Saudis to build reactors as part of a broader discussion that involved diplomatic recognition of Israel. What Trump has done is divorce the nuclear agreement from the broader question of recognizing Israel — which the Saudis have made clear will not be on the table for a long time.

Why this major concession? What’s in it for the United States?

First of all, it’s a huge business deal for the U.S. because the agreement requires that the Saudis use American-sourced nuclear technology. But it’s also another way to strengthen the close alliance with the Saudis. The comparison here is a similar deal the U.S. signed with the United Arab Emirates in 2009. But that’s where the rub lies — because there were two important provisions in that agreement that are absent from the Saudi agreement.

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