FRANCE PERSPECTIVE

Paris, July 23, 2026. The civil nuclear cooperation agreement signed on Wednesday between Washington and Riyadh has opened a closely watched file by French diplomacy, as it reshuffles the cards of non-proliferation in the Middle East. The text, initialed by US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, commits the two countries for thirty years and must still be submitted to the US Congress, according to L'Express. Officially, Riyadh wants to produce nuclear electricity to free up more oil for export and valorize its own uranium deposits. However, the issue of enrichment is causing concern: unlike Washington's usual requirements, the agreement would not include the strictest guarantees to prevent the kingdom from enriching uranium on its own soil.

For Robert Einhorn, former non-proliferation chief at the State Department, quoted by L'Express, the pact is intended to "revitalize the US nuclear industry, strengthen relations between the US and Saudi Arabia, and prevent Russia and China from occupying a strategic position" in the Saudi program. He acknowledges, however, that "without sufficient constraints, particularly on enrichment," the text could increase the risks of proliferation in the region.

The agreement has sent shockwaves in Jerusalem, where it is perceived as a political abandonment: Washington would have abandoned its traditional condition of Israeli-Saudi normalization before any nuclear concession. For Israel, which has never acknowledged possessing atomic weapons, the line between civilian and military nuclear capabilities remains blurred, and the risk of a regional arms race now appears real.

The regional context is exacerbating France's reading of the file: Le Monde recalls that Tehran, in the midst of a war with the US, is warning European countries against providing any logistical support to Washington, including the use of military bases. The announcement of the Saudi nuclear pact comes as the Trump administration justifies its military campaign against Iran by its desire to prevent Tehran from acquiring atomic weapons, an asymmetry of treatment that several analysts point out between the country being fought over its nuclear program and the ally being given access to enrichment.