I was invited to publish an opinion piece in The Economist about the U.S.-Saudi Arabia civil nuclear cooperation agreement signed on July 22, which establishes a 30-year, multibillion-dollar partnership between the two countries.
The agreement centers on important objectives for both parties: it supports U.S. ambitions to rejoin the ranks of the world’s leading nuclear technology exporters while enabling the expansion of Saudi Arabia’s nuclear energy program. The full text of the agreement has not yet been released, but it appears to allow Saudi Arabia a path to enrichment, with some obstacles, without committing to strict verification standards. The technology needed to enrich uranium for energy is the same technology that can produce weapons material.
I support having a nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia, but if enrichment follows, the agreement must provide inspectors timely access to undeclared nuclear sites, a key provision of the 2015 Iran deal. If similar verification and transparency measures are implemented, the agreement can fulfill the stated objectives while adhering to the highest nonproliferation standards.
Congress has 90 working days to review the proposed deal. The U.S.-Saudi agreement has the potential to pave the way towards greater deployment of nuclear energy in the Gulf region, but there is still work to be done on assuring that nonproliferation policies and norms are followed.
Spotlight
Moniz Visits Obama Presidential Center, Reflects on Time in Administration
The summer has been a time of reflection for those who served in the Obama administration. In June, the Barack Obama Presidential Center held a star-studded opening ceremony on Chicago’s South Side attended by Presidents Obama, Biden, Bush, and Clinton. The ceremony coincided with the release of a comprehensive oral history of the Obama years by Columbia University, which featured Ernest J. Moniz, who served as energy secretary in Obama’s second term. The EFIF founder was one of more than 450 former officials to participate. In July, Moniz visited the Obama Center and examined, among other highlights, exhibitions on two diplomatic breakthroughs where he played a key role: the Paris Climate Accords and the Iran Nuclear Deal.
Data Dive
Over one third of staff who have left the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) since February 2025 were in occupations essential to making and managing awards. The roles most impacted were program managers and analysts, grants managers, and loan specialists.
Moniz Advocates Regional Approach to Gulf Tensions
On CNN Portugal, Moniz outlined the challenges that have arisen since the United States withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018. He called for “going big” in negotiations with Iran by inviting other Gulf countries to the table. Doing so would help provide assurance that countries developing nuclear energy for peaceful purposes are adhering to the highest nonproliferation standards.
INNOVATION
DOE Staffing Shortages Continue to Limit Energy Innovation
Innovation at DOE stalled in 2025 as over 2,700 federal employees left the agency, largely due to the Trump administration’s Deferred Resignation Program. EFIF’s latest analysis, written in collaboration with the Federation of American Scientists, finds that DOE must rebuild its workforce with the capacity and capabilities needed to deliver on its energy innovation mission.
SECURITY
Moniz Recounts Negotiating 2015 Iran Deal on Decouple Podcast
Moniz, lead U.S. technical negotiator of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, joined the Decouple podcast to discuss the consequences of the 2018 U.S. withdrawal from the agreement, provide an inside look into his conversations with Iran’s nuclear chief, and urge diplomatic action to address Iran’s nuclear program.
Leading Conversations
"A targeted hiring strategy is needed to ensure DOE has the staff and skillsets to translate federal dollars into real-world outcomes."
During the opening night of Aspen Ideas: Climate in Chicago, Moniz joined TIME Magazine Senior Correspondent Justin Worland for afireside chat. They discussed the ongoing Iran war; the necessity of developing affordable, scalable, low-carbon fuels; and the future of decarbonization amid the United States’ changing role on the global stage.
Worland referenced Moniz's comments in a recent TIME Magazine article.
Moniz spoke with Ali Velshi on MS NOW’s The 11th Hourto discuss the U.S.-Saudi civil nuclear cooperation agreement. He shared that his concern lies not with entering into a nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia, but with the lack of nonproliferation safeguards.
ADC Journal article on the recent U.S.-Saudi civil nuclear agreement referenced Moniz’s remarks during the Earthshot Foundation’s Gridiron Finalein June where he stated “you can make a pretty good bomb” with 60 percent enriched uranium, referring to the stockpile that Iran has accumulated since the United States pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal in 2018.
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