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First Thing: US agrees Saudi uranium deal as strikes on Iran continue and Yemen’s Houthis hit tankers

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According to The Guardian, the US and Saudi Arabia have signed a landmark nuclear technology agreement that could allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium in the future. The deal will be reviewed by Congress, where some lawmakers have raised concerns about safeguards against nuclear weapons proliferation. The agreement caps years of US negotiations, driven by concerns that Saudi Arabia might otherwise turn to China or Russia for the technology. The timing is notable: even as the US pursues nuclear cooperation with Saudi Arabia, it's conducting sustained military strikes against Iran to prevent similar uranium enrichment there. The US military launched its twelfth consecutive night of strikes, targeting military assets across western and central Iran. Houthi forces in Yemen also attacked two Saudi Arabian oil tankers in the Red Sea, with one vessel catching fire.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/23/first-thi...

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