US-Saudi nuclear agreement allows for potential uranium enrichment up to 20%, WSJ reports

NEW YORK, September 3. /TASS/. An agreement between Washington and Riyadh on cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy provides for the possibility of enriching uranium to up to 20%, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported, citing the text of the document submitted to the US Congress for review.

The agreement does not automatically authorize uranium enrichment in Saudi Arabia, the newspaper noted, but includes a series of steps that could pave the way for an enrichment facility to begin operating within several years. Under the deal, US and Saudi officials will spend two years assessing the economic feasibility of uranium enrichment and developing safeguards against nuclear proliferation risks.

If the parties conclude that enrichment is necessary, US companies, working with their foreign suppliers, will build a facility capable of enriching uranium to up to 5%. That level could later approach 20%, the newspaper said.