A civil nuclear pact grants Saudi Arabia uranium enrichment rights the US once denied Iran and the UAE. Is Washington setting off a Middle East arms race?

The landmark 123 agreement between Washington and Riyadh lays the legal foundation for domestic uranium enrichment up to 20%. While meant to power civilian reactors and anchor Saudi Arabia to the US rather than China or Russia, the deal drops the long-held ""Gold Standard"" requirement to forgo enrichment and reprocessing.

This brief argues that amidst ongoing regional conflict and Iran's expanding stockpile, granting enrichment rights to Riyadh could prompt rival powers to seek similar capabilities, opening a dangerous new chapter in Middle Eastern nuclear proliferation: https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/how-the-us-saudi-nuclear-deal-could-ignite-a-middle-east-arms-race