The United States and Saudi Arabia have announced a landmark agreement to establish a civilian nuclear programme in the kingdom, a move expected to strengthen bilateral ties while drawing scrutiny over its potential impact on regional security.

The agreement, unveiled on Wednesday, is expected to create billions of dollars in opportunities for American companies and marks a significant strategic victory for Saudi Arabia, which will gain access to US nuclear technology without being required to normalise relations with Israel.

In recent years, Washington had linked any nuclear cooperation and defence agreement with Riyadh to the normalisation of diplomatic ties with Israel.

Although details of the agreement have not yet been released publicly, reports indicate it could allow American companies to build a uranium enrichment facility in Saudi Arabia.

The US Department of Energy did not confirm that provision and declined to comment when asked.

The announcement comes as the United States remains engaged in conflict with Iran, where concerns over Tehran’s nuclear programme continue to dominate stalled diplomatic efforts.

Analysts believe the agreement also sends a strategic message to Iran.

According to Allison Minor, Director of the Project for Middle East Integration at the Atlantic Council, the deal reflects Washington’s intention to reinforce ties with a key regional ally while signalling its position to Tehran.

“By keeping the door open for uranium enrichment inside Saudi Arabia, the nuclear deal sends a powerful message to Tehran,” she said.

The agreement will now be submitted to the US Congress for review, although it is not expected to face major resistance from the Republican-controlled legislature.

Some US lawmakers and Israeli officials have previously opposed any arrangement that could eventually allow Saudi Arabia to develop uranium enrichment capabilities, warning that it could contribute to a regional nuclear arms race.

US Senator Bernie Sanders criticised the agreement, writing on X:

“Trump claims his war on Iran is about stopping an authoritarian country from enriching nuclear fuel. Now he’s letting his best friends in Saudi Arabia — one of the most brutal dictatorships in the world — do exactly that. This is absurd.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the agreement, insisting strict safeguards would prevent the programme from being converted into a weapons project.

“Any agreement that we’re going to make with any country in the world on civil nuclear energy is going to be one that will have safeguards in place to ensure that it can’t be turned into a weapons programme,” Rubio said.

Saudi Arabia has consistently maintained that its nuclear ambitions are solely for peaceful purposes and has repeatedly insisted on its right to develop civilian nuclear energy.

The kingdom also signed a mutual defence pact with nuclear-armed Pakistan last year.

The United States currently maintains civilian nuclear cooperation agreements with more than 50 countries.

While supporters argue the agreement strengthens America’s influence in the Middle East and prevents Saudi Arabia from turning to Russia or China for nuclear technology, critics continue to express concerns over the long-term implications of uranium enrichment on Saudi soil.

Jennifer T. Gordon, Director of the Atlantic Council’s Nuclear Energy Policy Initiative, described the agreement as a strategic victory for Washington.

“Saudi Arabia has made it clear that it will purchase nuclear energy technologies… the only question has been whether the kingdom would choose to work with the US and its allies, or whether it would turn to Russia or China,” she said.

The Presidency has said a letter from United States President Donald Trump to President Bola Tinubu is further proof that Nigeria’s security partnership with the United States is producing meaningful results.

Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, made the remarks during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday.

According to Bwala, attention should be placed on the contents of the letter and the progress achieved through the partnership rather than the timing of its public release.

He said the correspondence demonstrates growing international recognition of the Tinubu administration’s efforts to deepen security cooperation with the United States.

“The letter was written by the United States government applauding the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for deeper cooperation. Unfortunately, we are not discussing that today. Is it fair to the Nigerian people? Is it fair to the Nigerian people in rural areas who want to know that this country has experienced progress to the point where our collaboration is yielding results?

“The letter is the recognition of the results of the collaboration that has assumed a much deeper and commendable level. The second-in-command in ISIS globally was eliminated in Nigeria because of the joint operation. We eliminated and foiled their attacks because of the joint operation. We have deepened cooperation to the point where we share intelligence, conduct local training and carry out joint operations,” Bwala said.

He added that the letter reflects the progress made in Nigeria’s relationship with the United States, noting that similar diplomatic achievements are being recorded with other countries.

“The letter exemplifies and explains the progress we have made so far with the United States, and we have similar progress with the rest of the world,” he stated.

Speaking on how President Tinubu views the letter, Bwala said its message was clear.

“The facts speak for themselves. The letter is further proof of the progress we are making. Does it mean that if there was no letter we would stop? No, because we are already engaging and communicating with them,” he said.

Addressing concerns over why the July 6 letter was only released publicly on July 22, Bwala insisted that the focus should remain on its substance rather than the timing.

“Is the content of the letter false? You have to concentrate on the essentials in order not to be distracted. The fact right now is that President Trump has written a letter to President Tinubu. The Nigerian people and what impacts them are more important to us than baseless rhetoric,” he said.

Bwala also maintained that the administration’s efforts to improve security are yielding positive results, adding that many Nigerians are satisfied with the progress being made.

The Presidency had earlier released the letter dated July 6, 2026, in which President Trump praised President Tinubu’s “decisive leadership” in tackling terrorism and protecting vulnerable communities, particularly Christians.

The letter also reaffirmed the importance of stronger US-Nigeria relations and highlighted the expanding security partnership under the 2026 Defence Cooperation Roadmap, including the deployment of US Special Operations Forces to train Nigerian troops, enhanced intelligence sharing, and joint counterterrorism operations against extremist groups.

Thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes and holiday camps as devastating wildfires continue to spread across parts of Italy, France and Spain, fuelled by extreme heat and strong winds.

The fires have claimed the lives of three firefighters as southern Europe battles another intense heatwave, with temperatures rising above 40°C in several areas.

Climate scientists have consistently warned that human-driven climate change, caused largely by the burning of fossil fuels, is increasing the frequency, duration and intensity of extreme weather events such as heatwaves and wildfires.

In Italy, emergency responders continued efforts to contain dozens of fires across Sicily, where about 6,000 firefighters, forest guards and civil protection personnel have been deployed alongside water-bombing aircraft.

Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi confirmed that one firefighter died after falling ill while responding to the fires.

A spokesperson for Italy’s Civil Protection Agency described the situation in Sicily as critical, saying the fires were being intensified by soaring temperatures and exceptionally dry conditions.

More than 160 separate fires have also been reported in the Calabria region, where local authorities accused suspected arsonists of deliberately igniting some of the blazes. Officials alleged that flammable materials were tied to stray cats in an attempt to spread the fires.

In France, more than 10,000 tourists were evacuated from campsites and holiday accommodation near Bordeaux after a wildfire tore through a coastal pine forest.

The blaze in Le Porge has destroyed about 2,000 hectares of land since Wednesday.

The latest emergency follows the deaths of two firefighters earlier this week while battling another wildfire near Bordeaux Airport.

France’s Interior Minister Laurent Nunez met with the families of the fallen firefighters as unions warned that emergency crews were facing growing exhaustion and limited resources.

“We’re dealing with a very dense stand of closely packed pines,” firefighter Captain Wilfried Schneider said, describing the wildfire as one of unusual intensity.

Residents described thick black smoke covering the skies as the fire rapidly spread.

“We saw a big cloud of black smoke spread across the sky in the middle of the afternoon,” said Bordeaux resident Julie Leonard.

Long-time resident Bernard Roche also described the severe conditions.

“If I’d been brave, I would have stayed in my cabin, but it was too hot. I got in my car and left,” he said.

Authorities evacuated around 700 residents in Le Porge, while more than 3,000 campers were relocated as a precaution.

In neighbouring Spain, firefighters made progress overnight in containing a major wildfire south of Madrid, allowing many evacuated residents to return home.

However, some communities, including El Encinar del Alberche in Villa del Prado, remain under evacuation orders.

Emergency officials described overnight firefighting operations as “very positive”, although the fire has yet to be fully contained and several roads remain closed.

Elsewhere in Spain, hundreds of firefighters continue battling a much larger wildfire in Guadalajara province, which has burned approximately 32,000 hectares since it began last week.

According to the European Forest Fire Information System, Spain recorded more than 393,000 hectares destroyed by wildfires in 2025, marking the country’s worst wildfire season in recent history.