US President Donald Trump has approved a nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia that could eventually allow the kingdom to enrich uranium for its civilian nuclear energy programme, according to two people familiar with the decision.

The agreement, which has not yet been formally announced, could be made public as early as Wednesday, the sources said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the matter publicly.

Expected to remain in force for 30 years, the agreement would involve US companies in developing Saudi Arabia's civilian nuclear sector. It also envisions the possible construction of a uranium enrichment facility in the kingdom after a joint US-Saudi feasibility study.

The proposal will be submitted to the US Congress for review, where it is likely to face scrutiny from lawmakers concerned that permitting Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium could increase the risk of nuclear proliferation and trigger a regional arms race.

Saudi Arabia is a member of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which promotes the peaceful use of nuclear energy while monitoring member states to ensure they are not pursuing secret nuclear weapons programmes.

However, one of the sources said the agreement is not expected to include the IAEA's Additional Protocol, which provides inspectors with expanded authority to verify that nuclear activities remain exclusively peaceful.

The development comes amid heightened regional tensions following military operations by the United States and Israel targeting Iran's nuclear capabilities. Tehran maintains that its uranium enrichment programme is intended solely for peaceful purposes.

The White House and Saudi authorities did not immediately comment on the reported agreement. The Wall Street Journal first reported the decision.

Both Trump and former President Joe Biden had sought a civilian nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia that would allow the kingdom to benefit from American nuclear technology.

Non-proliferation experts, however, have warned that domestic uranium enrichment could provide Saudi Arabia with the technical foundation for a future weapons programme. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has previously suggested the kingdom would seek nuclear weapons if Iran were to acquire them.

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright visited Saudi Arabia last year and held discussions with Saudi officials on expanding the kingdom's commercial nuclear power sector. The US Department of Energy did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Saudi Arabia has also strengthened security ties with nuclear-armed Pakistan. Analysts note that any future enrichment capability in the kingdom is likely to draw increased international attention given the region's security dynamics.

While uranium enrichment alone does not enable a country to build a nuclear weapon, it is considered a critical step in the nuclear fuel cycle and can significantly shorten the path to developing weapons-grade material if a country chooses to do so.

The United Arab Emirates, by contrast, built its Barakah nuclear power plant under a so-called "123 agreement" with the United States without pursuing domestic uranium enrichment—a model widely regarded by non-proliferation experts as the international benchmark for civilian nuclear cooperation.