Saudi Arabia to Grant IAEA Expanded Nuclear Monitoring Powers

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi announced on Monday that Saudi Arabia is preparing to grant the UN nuclear watchdog additional verification and monitoring authorizations. While a planned civil nuclear power cooperation agreement between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia reached in July does not include Riyadh signing the Additional Protocol, Grossi stated that a bilateral agreement is being developed with provisions similar to that protocol. This new arrangement will specifically target sensitive activities, including uranium enrichment, uranium conversion, and reprocessing to separate plutonium from spent reactor fuel.

The Additional Protocol is considered the ideal setup because it allows the IAEA to conduct snap inspections at undeclared locations. Non proliferation groups, including the Arms Control Association, have criticized the planned 123 agreement for omitting this protocol. For context, Iran implemented the Additional Protocol from 2016 to 2021 before the arrangement unraveled following the U.S. withdrawal from a nuclear deal in 2018.

Grossi noted that Riyadh is preparing to go beyond its core obligations under its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement. Once the specific details of the bilateral agreement are finalized, they will be presented to the IAEA Board of Governors, which consists of 35 nations.