The controversial agreement was finalised on Wednesday evening and signed under two agreements by US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Arabia's counterpart, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, according to the US Department of Energy.
Wright said in a written statement that the agreement complies with the rules on nuclear safety and non-proliferation treaties. According to the US, the agreement involves cooperation on nuclear energy issues for the “coming decades” worth “many billions of dollars.”
To be reviewed in Congress
The agreement will now be sent to the US Congress for review, according to the statement.
Wright also praised President Donald Trump for his initiative to develop nuclear energy: "The American nuclear renaissance is now underway thanks to President Trump."
Concerns include possible opportunities for Saudi Arabia to manufacture nuclear weapons in the future, and that the country will be able to enrich uranium with support from the United States.
Criticised by opposition
Middle East expert Rosemary Kelanic told the British BBC in connection with the negotiations that "the US has never done this before, and has never helped another country enrich (uranium) on its own territory."
If a country can produce nuclear fuel, the risk is much greater (that the country produces nuclear weapons), says Kelanic, who works at the American think tank Defense Priorities.
The agreement is also met with criticism from parts of the opposition in the United States.
"Trump claims his war on Iran is about stopping an authoritarian country from enriching nuclear fuel. Now he's letting his best friends in Saudi Arabia - one of the world's most brutal dictatorships - do just that," writes left-wing US Senator Bernie Sanders on X.
