The Trump administration formally sent its landmark nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia to Congress on Monday, triggering a 90-day review period for a deal that has drawn sharp criticism from nonproliferation experts and lawmakers in both parties.
The deal, struck under Section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act, would allow American companies to export civilian nuclear technology to the kingdom for a program expected to span 30 years. But its transmission comes with a condition that may prove fatal: President Trump has insisted the agreement will only take effect if Saudi Arabia normalizes relations with Israel through the Abraham Accords.
What the Deal Contains – and What It Omits
The agreement was signed in July by U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Minister of Energy Abdulaziz bin Salman. Unlike previous American nuclear cooperation pacts, it does not include the so-called Gold Standard provision that would prohibit Saudi Arabia from enriching uranium or reprocessing spent fuel. Both processes can serve as pathways toward producing weapons-grade material.
It also omits the International Atomic Energy Agency Additional Protocol, which would grant inspectors expanded access to undeclared sites. Instead, the deal appears to establish a bilateral inspection framework, raising questions about whether verification would carry the same weight as international oversight.
The Washington Post first reported the formal submission. An administration official confirmed to ABC News that the text was transmitted on Monday, though the timing puzzled observers given that the deal was finalized more than a month ago and Saudi Arabia has offered no public indication of moving toward Israeli normalization.
Bipartisan Resistance on Capitol Hill
The submission immediately triggered pushback from both sides of the aisle. Representative John Garamendi, a California Democrat, called it terrible policy and said it abandons Gold Standard safeguards, increasing the risk of uranium enrichment, nuclear proliferation, and a Middle East regional arms race.
This policy reverses 50 years of U.S. leadership in the global nonproliferation architecture.
Thomas Countryman, a former Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation, issued that warning when the deal was first announced in July. His concern has only deepened now that the agreement is formally before Congress. The deal sets a precedent that other nations in the region, including the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, and Egypt, could cite in demanding similar terms for their own nuclear programs.
Republican critics, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio when he served in the Senate, have previously pushed for tighter guardrails on any Saudi nuclear agreement. A bipartisan 2018 proposal that Rubio backed would have required congressional approval for any such deal. That measure was reintroduced by Democrats in March but has not passed.
The 90-Day Clock and How It Can Be Stopped
Under the Atomic Energy Act, Congress has 90 days of continuous session to review the proposed agreement. Once that window expires, the deal automatically takes effect unless lawmakers pass a joint resolution of disapproval. Blocking it would then require a two-thirds majority to override a presidential veto, a steep threshold.
However, the review clock can be paused. Tom Moore, a former staff member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, noted that any calendar day on which either chamber adjourns for more than three days does not count toward the 90-day tally. That mechanism means the review could extend beyond the November midterm elections, potentially reshaping the political calculus if Democrats gain seats.
The timing of the submission, more than a month after the deal was signed, has also fueled speculation about strategic maneuvering. Saudi Arabia has shown no public progress toward the Israel normalization condition that Trump attached to the deal, and some analysts believe the administration may be using the submission to pressure Riyadh.
Proliferation Fears in an Already Fractured Nuclear Order
The agreement arrives at a moment of acute stress for the global nuclear nonproliferation regime. The United States is engaged in an ongoing conflict with Iran, which Washington accuses of pursuing nuclear weapons capabilities. The irony of easing safeguards for Riyadh while confronting Tehran over its nuclear ambitions has not been lost on analysts.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in a 2018 interview that Saudi Arabia would pursue a nuclear weapon without hesitation if Iran developed one first. The kingdom has also formalized a defense pact with Pakistan, a nuclear-armed state that has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, adding another layer of complexity to the regional security picture.
Erin Dumbacher, a Stanton nuclear security fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, has warned that the deal would deepen cracks in the U.S.-led global nuclear order that has held for eight decades. If Congress approves it, she argued, the relaxation of norms around enrichment and reprocessing could spread well beyond the Middle East, potentially reaching countries in Asia and Eastern Europe that have their own nuclear energy ambitions.
The administration maintains that the deal meets all legal requirements under the Atomic Energy Act and that bilateral safeguards are sufficient. But with the text still not fully public and both parties in Congress expressing reservations, the agreement faces an uncertain path through a review process that may ultimately define the future of nuclear cooperation worldwide.
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