The International Atomic Energy Agency on Monday said the proposed US-Saudi Arabia civil nuclear deal will include several provisions granting the agency powers to verify and monitor sensitive activities.
Addressing a press conference IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said consultations and preparation process had allowed several provisions to be introduced to the bilateral agreement, giving the agency additional authorization for verification and monitoring of sensitive activities.
Grossi was responding to a query on Saudi Arabia not requiring to subscribe to an Additional Protocol, as part of the deal.
The IAEA said Saudi Arabia is not required to adopt the voluntary Additional Protocol, a choice made by several other countries, although it considers the protocol the ideal setup for safeguards as it provides the agency greater access.
"What is important is that, in the consultations and preparation process, it has been possible to introduce a number of provisions to the bilateral agreement that will give the agency additional verification and monitoring authorizations," Grossi said.
"These are going to be important because they will refer to activities like conversion, potentially enrichment if it does occur at some point in the future, reprocessing, etc. These are sensitive activities, as we all know. For those, we are going to have authorizations and capacities that are very, very similar to those that you may find in an Additional Protocol."
In July, the US and Saudi Arabia signed a deal for peaceful nuclear cooperation, an agreement with a reach of multiple decades and entailing billions of dollars of business.
According to a statement issued by the Department of Energy then, such deals are commonly referred to as "a 123 agreement." The two countries also signed an accompanying bilateral safeguards agreement.
"The 123 agreement provides great access for [US] companies in the Saudi nuclear energy program, benefiting [US] industry, workers, and supply chains while helping to meet Saudi energy needs," the statement said.
It went on to say that the two deals advance US and regional security "by upholding high standards of nuclear safety, security, and nonproliferation and strengthening the United States' competitive edge in civil nuclear technology."
The partnership will expand US nuclear technology exports, create jobs and reinforce global nonproliferation standards, the statement said.
According to a Reuters report last month, citing a US administration official, President Donald Trump has sent the proposed deal to the US Congress for review but has insisted that it will only take effect if Saudi Arabia normalizes relations with Israel. The Congress has to review the deal in 90 days.