Saudi Arabia announced on Monday that it would agree to tighter supervision of its nuclear activity, a step that could contribute to advancing talks with the United States on the construction of a uranium enrichment facility in the kingdom, as part of a possible normalization deal with Israel.
In a speech at the annual conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency, an organization under the United Nations, Saudi Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman, brother of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, said Riyadh would cancel the basic inspection agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency and implement a comprehensive defense agreement that would give inspectors broader powers to examine nuclear activity.
Netanyahu presents map of peace in the Middle East at the UN General Assembly // Reuters
According to the senior minister, the kingdom is in the process of establishing a defense agreement that will operate according to "best international methods and experience."
According to the Wall Street Journal, this step will give the international community greater confidence that any Saudi nuclear facility will operate in a civilian format and will not engage in an attempt to produce nuclear fuel for the bomb. Last week, this newspaper reported that Israeli officials were working with the Biden administration on a proposal to build a uranium enrichment facility in Saudi Arabia run by the United States.
Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us