Washington DC - Amid escalating fighting across the Middle East, the US on Wednesday announced a landmark deal with Saudi Arabia to help establish a civilian nuclear program.

Two agreements – one on "peaceful nuclear cooperation" and another on "bilateral safeguards" – were signed by Energy Secretary Chris Wright and his Saudi counterpart Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, the Energy Department announced in a statement posted to X.

"Together, these two agreements lay the legal foundation for a decades-long, multibillion dollar partnership that advances several priority economic and strategic objectives, including nuclear nonproliferation," the statement read.

A provision in the deal would potentially see US companies build a uranium enrichment facility in Saudi Arabia, the Wall Street Journal reported. The Energy Department statement made no mention of such a provision.

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The deal, which was leaked ahead of time in a New York Times report on Tuesday, will be submitted to Congress for review.

It comes at a time when violence is escalating across the region, largely triggered by the US' war with Iran. Yemen's Houthi rebels have threatened to blockade Saudi ports and on Wednesday struck two oil tankers in the Red Sea.

Lawmakers have voiced opposition to such a project over fears Saudi Arabia could eventually convert it to develop nuclear weapons.

"Trump claims his war on Iran is about stopping an authoritarian country from enriching nuclear fuel," Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders wrote on X.

"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."

"Rest assured, these agreements uphold the highest standards of nuclear safety and nonproliferation," Wright said in a statement. "The American nuclear renaissance is underway and will deliver long-term benefits to the American and Saudi people."