US Energy Secretary Chris Wright told reporters in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Sunday that the United States and Saudi Arabia will sign a preliminary agreement for cooperation regarding the kingdom's ambitions to develop a civilian nuclear industry.

Wright, who had met with Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman earlier on Sunday, added that Riyadh and Washington are on a "track" toward reaching an agreement to work together to develop a Saudi civilian nuclear program.

Wright, on his first official visit to the Kingdom as part of a tour of energy-producing Gulf states, added that further details of a memorandum of understanding detailing energy cooperation between Riyadh and Washington will be announced later this year.

“As for the American partnership and participation in the nuclear field, there will certainly be a 123 agreement... [There are] many ways to structure a deal that achieves both Saudi and American goals,” he said.

It's worth noting that the so-called 123 Agreement with Riyadh refers to Section 123 of the U.S. Atomic Energy Act of 1954. Compliance with Section 123 is required to allow the U.S. government and U.S. companies to cooperate with entities in the Kingdom developing civil nuclear capabilities.

However, Wright said that Saudi authorities have not agreed to the requirements set forth in Article 123. This provision sets out nine nonproliferation standards that a state must meet to prevent it from using the technology to develop nuclear weapons or transferring sensitive materials to others.

Progress in the discussions has been difficult in the past because Saudi Arabia has been unwilling to sign an agreement that excludes the possibility of uranium enrichment or spent fuel reprocessing, both of which are potential pathways to making a bomb.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has long stated that if Iran develops a nuclear weapon, Saudi Arabia will follow suit. This stance has raised deep concern among states seeking nuclear weapons. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Islamic Republic is moving toward military nuclear capabilities. The Trump administration and Iran began negotiations on Saturday regarding Iran's nuclear program, although it remains unclear whether significant progress has been made.

It is worth noting that Wright only mentioned discussions about a civil nuclear agreement with the Saudis. The previous administration of US President Joe Biden had sought to include a civil nuclear agreement as part of a larger deal that included US security guarantees for Saudi Arabia and the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Jerusalem.

It's worth noting that with the prospect of a normalization agreement receding under the hardline government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which is waging a war of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and rejects the possibility of a Palestinian state, Saudi officials have spoken in recent months about securing smaller bilateral deals with the United States, ostensibly like the one Wright announced on Saturday.

Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, is seeking to generate significant renewable energy and reduce emissions under the Crown Prince's Vision 2030 reform plan.