Though the White House and U.S. Energy Department touted the signing of a “Joint Declaration on the Completion of Negotiations” for a bilateral nuclear trade deal, the reality is that a formal “123” agreement , which Congress is statutorily required to review, has not been formalized, and neither side has offered a timeline for when it might be reached. Named after a section in the 1954 Atomic Energy Act, 123 deals permit the export of U.S. atomic energy reactors, related equipment, and nuclear reactor fuel.
Despite U.S. President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s display of bonhomie at the White House this week, a formal U.S.-Saudi civilian nuclear cooperation deal remains out of reach, with the two sides at odds over Riyadh’s continued insistence that it be allowed to domestically enrich uranium.
Despite U.S.
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