US signs landmark nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia

The US and Saudi Arabia have signed a deal that will reportedly allow the Gulf kingdom to develop a civilian nuclear programme.

The exact details of the deal have not yet been shared and it must still be reviewed by Congress.

What we do know from the joint statement issued by the US energy secretary and the Saudi energy minister is that it will be a decades-long, multi-billion-dollar partnership that involves American companies and experts working alongside the Saudi nuclear energy programme. A "bilateral safeguards agreement" was also signed.

Earlier reports in US media suggested that, after undertaking a joint study with the US, Saudi Arabia may be allowed to enrich uranium on its soil to produce fuel at a US-built enrichment facility, instead of relying on imported fuel.

Experts have told the BBC it could take at least a decade for Saudi Arabia to bring a nuclear power plant online.

And some critics have voiced concerns that this deal could pave the way for Saudi Arabia to build its own nuclear weapons.

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