Which Middle East nations have nuclear programmes, and how were they built?

Published 23 July 2026 · india

Saudi Arabia aims to join the region’s nuclear club after it signs a deal with the US. The United States and Saudi Arabia have signed

Saudi Arabia aims to join the region’s nuclear club after it signs a deal with the US. The United States and Saudi Arabia have signed a 30-year nuclear deal that will see Washington help the Gulf kingdom develop a civilian nuclear programme. The deal was sealed on Wednesday when US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman signed a nuclear cooperation “123 agreement”, which permits US companies to transfer nuclear technology abroad. The US signs such deals under Section 123 of its Atomic Energy Act, which is why country-specific nuclear deals are known as 123 agreements. Much of what the Saudi deal entails is unknown for now, even as some analysts have raised concerns about whether it has strong enough guardrails to prevent a nuclear arms race in an already volatile Middle East. The US and Saudi Arabia are signatories to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). However, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the international watchdog against nuclear proliferation, was not involved in the bilateral agreement. It’s unclear how guardrails will be enforced. Saudi Arabia is also not a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group, a cartel of 48 nations that controls nuclear commerce, so it is unclear how the country will access key nuclear technology and uranium. But the deal is only the latest of several nuclear programmes in the Middle East, many of them civilian. Here’s what else we know about these programmes What did the US and Saudi Arabia agree to? The two countries signed the nuclear agreement allowing US transfers of technology and a separate “bilateral safeguards agreement”. It’s unclear what they entail, but a bilateral safeguards deal suggests that pact might include a mechanism for American inspectors to monitor the Saudi nuclear programme to ensure fuel enrichment levels remain within limits commensurate with civilian reactor needs and don’t rise to weapons grade or close to it. “The US is not going to reach any agreement with any country in the world that leads to the risk of proliferation,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Wednesday while in the Philippines. US companies such as nuclear reactor designer Westinghouse are likely to profit from the deal. The agreement will now be submitted to Congress for review. It could face resistance from legislators on both sides of the aisle, but they are expected to be in a minority. Under that scenario, the deal would automatically go into effect after the 90-day review window. What Middle East countries have nuclear programmes? Iran The US joined Israel’s 12-Day War against Iran in 2025 by conducting one day of air strikes on Iran’s three main nuclear facilities.