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SINGAPORE PERSPECTIVE
TRUMP SIGNS NUCLEAR DEAL WITH SAUDI ARABIA THAT COULD OPEN THE DOOR TO URANIUM ENRICHMENT
DOMINANT ANGLE
Singapore assesses the risk of a double standard on nuclear issues that the US assumes with Riyadh, just a few months after a war was waged against Iranian enrichment.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
ANALYSIS
Singapore, July 23, 2026. The city-state is closely following the civil nuclear agreement signed on Wednesday between Washington and Riyadh by US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman. According to Channel News Asia, the text "lays the legal foundations for a multi-decade, multi-billion dollar partnership" covering economic and strategic objectives, including non-proliferation. The Straits Times notes that this "123 Agreement", accompanied by a bilateral guarantees agreement, allows Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium and reprocess nuclear waste - two technical paths that can lead to the manufacture of a nuclear device, according to sources cited by Reuters.
The Singaporean press points out a break with the previous Emirati precedent: in 2009, Abu Dhabi had renounced these two capabilities to obtain its own agreement with Washington. The text negotiated with Riyadh also omits the "additional protocol" that would allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to conduct unannounced inspections, a standard that Washington traditionally required. These omissions, notes The Straits Times, "are likely to concern American allies in the Middle East, including Israel", and raise a question of consistency: one of the justifications for the US war against Iran this year was Tehran's refusal to abandon its own enrichment program.
The agreement still needs to be approved by Congress, where lawmakers from both parties have expressed reservations, but Republican control makes a blockade unlikely, notes Channel News Asia. For Singapore, a small economy highly dependent on the stability of the Gulf's energy routes, this issue adds to an already tense region due to the US-Iranian war, which has seen the Houthis threaten Saudi exports and tankers divert from their route in the Strait of Hormuz and at Bab-el-Mandeb. In Manila, where Singaporean diplomacy participated in ASEAN ministerial meetings this week, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan emphasized the importance of external partnerships for regional resilience - a principle that Washington and Riyadh also invoke, but in a nuclear context whose implications go far beyond the Gulf.
KEY POINTS
- Singapore's government has been following the development of a "123 Agreement" signed by Chris Wright and Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, which allows Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium and reprocess nuclear waste.
- Unlike the 2009 agreement with the United Arab Emirates, the text omits the "additional protocol" that allows for unannounced inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
- The agreement is set to be submitted to the US Congress, where lawmakers from both parties and Israeli officials have expressed concerns.
COGNITIVE BIASES IDENTIFIED
Singapore's government views the coverage as Washington-centric, relying heavily on announcements from the US Department of Energy and anonymous sources cited in reports, rather than Saudi Arabia's stance itself.
From Singapore's capital, the preferred angle focuses on non-proliferation risks and comparisons with Tehran, overshadowing Saudi Arabia's energy motivations.
Singaporeans note that the reaction from the Gulf region receives limited coverage, with few mentions of the positions of other Gulf monarchies or public opinion in Saudi Arabia regarding the agreement.
SOURCES (2)
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