Coveted U.S. Nuclear Deal Is a Coup for Saudi Crown Prince

Saudi Arabia has for years sought a deal to obtain American nuclear technology. The agreement, signed on Wednesday, could deepen U.S.-Saudi ties for decades to come.

Saudi Arabia signed a long-sought deal to obtain American nuclear technology on Wednesday, deepening its ties with the United States at a time of war and uncertainty across the Middle East.

The civilian nuclear deal, which would allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium on its soil, represents a triumph for the kingdom’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman. He has been trying to seal such an agreement for more than five years, pushing against opposition from American officials and experts who have raised concerns that the Persian Gulf nation could use the technology to pursue a nuclear weapon, spurring a new Middle East arms race.

The deal is also a signal that the Saudi leadership still views their alliance with the United States as essential and is eager to deepen American involvement in their country despite tensions stoked by the U.S. war with Iran. The joint U.S.-Israel war on Iran spurred a series of Iranian attacks on Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf countries, which host American military installations.

Nuclear reactors can take more than 10 years to build, and the deal could lock the kingdom into using American nuclear technology for decades to come, strengthening U.S.-Saudi security ties as well as commercial ones.

“They’re betting on that going forward,” said Karen Young, a political economist at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy. For Saudi Arabia, the deal provides a moment of “power projection — literally, political power as well as electricity generation,” she added.

“It’s prestige within the region. It’s the future ability to say we are at par with or supersede any Iranian capabilities, and we did it with this stamp of U.S. approval,” she said.

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