United News of Bangladesh

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has expressed strong interest in broadening its engagement with Bangladesh beyond the traditional manpower sector, with investment opportunities in fisheries, food, energy, renewable energy, information technology and artificial intelligence. "They (KSA) have repeatedly said the same thing - They do not want to be in just one sector; they want to work with Bangladesh in many sectors,'" State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, referring to the visiting Saudi delegation's message. Earlier, a high-level meeting was held between the two sides at State Guest House Padma. Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam, Prime Minister’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Humaiun Kobir, among others, were present at the meeting with the Saudi delegation led by Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Eng. Waleed Elkhereji. Two deputy Saudi ministers accompanied the Saudi delegation. Shama Obaed said the Saudi side conveyed its confidence in Bangladesh's government following the country's democratic election and reaffirmed its commitment to deepening ties. She said the discussions were "very successful and fruitful," with both sides focusing on expanding economic cooperation. "The Saudi government is interested in investing in Bangladesh by utilising the expertise they have in various sectors like fisheries, food, energy and renewable energy, solar energy, information technology (IT) and artificial intelligence," Shama Obaed said. She also said Saudi Arabia is interested in recruiting more skilled workers from Bangladesh, describing the issue as another important area of discussion. "We thanked them that due to the full cooperation of the Saudi government, we were able to bring back our brothers who died there," she said, recalling that three Bangladeshi nationals were killed during the recent conflict in the region. The Saudi delegation paid tribute to them. The Saudi Crown Prince has already invited Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. Bangladesh has also invited their Crown Prince to visit Bangladesh. Shama Obaed expressed hope that a joint Bangladesh-Saudi investment meeting would be held soon, with participation from the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) and other stakeholders. She also announced that political consultations and a Joint Working Group meeting between the two countries are expected to take place in Bangladesh later this year. "This communication and exchange will continue," she said. Describing the visit as highly productive, Shama Obaed said Saudi Arabia expressed confidence that bilateral relations would continue to grow stronger. "This visit was very fruitful and, in the coming days, they have also expressed their strong belief that Saudi-Bangladesh relations will be further improved under the leadership of the Prime Minister," she said. Responding to a question about a possible visit by the Prime Minister to Saudi Arabia, Shama Obaed said the visit will definitely take place at a suitable time based on discussions between the two countries. Asked whether issues related to Rohingya passport documentation in Saudi Arabia or the illegal stay of some Bangladeshi workers were discussed, she said those matters did not feature prominently in the talks. "Look, we have the same problems related to passports in all countries," she said. "Our Bangladesh missions in Jeddah and Riyadh are already working to resolve those problems by establishing contact with Saudi Arabia," she added. The Saudi vice minister arrived in Dhaka on Monday night on a two-day visit. Foreign Affairs Adviser to the Prime Minister Humaiun Kobir received him at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. He is scheduled to leave Bangladesh on Tuesday. Saudi Ambassador to Bangladesh Dr. Abdullah Zafer H. bin Abiyah recently said they expect greater emphasis on strategic investments, industrial partnerships, and technology transfer, noting that the next five years could represent a "transformative phase" in Bangladesh-Saudi economic relations. "Bangladesh offers one of the most dynamic investment destinations in South Asia, with a market of more than 170 million people and a strategic location connecting South and Southeast Asia," said the ambassador in an interview with UNB. Traditionally, the partnership has been driven by manpower cooperation and energy trade. Particularly promising sectors include energy infrastructure, LNG, oil refining, healthcare services, pharmaceuticals, and food security initiatives, said Ambassador Dr. Abdullah.  

The price of green chillies would come down to a tolerable level within the next two to five days, as the government allowed the import of green chillies from tomorrow, said Agriculture Minister Mohammed Aminur Rashid on Sunday. The government has allowed the import of green chillies and decided to reduce the existing import tax in a bid to stabilise prices, he said to reporters while visiting Shantinagar Kitchen Market in the capital. Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir and State Minister for Food Md Abdul Bari were present there to review the supply, prices and overall market situation of essential commodities. Administrator of Dhaka South City Corporation Md Abdus Salam was also present during the visit. The ministers interacted with traders and consumers and inquired about the supply and prices of daily essentials. Speaking to reporters after the inspection, the agriculture minister said the government had taken prompt measures to stabilise the market by allowing green chilli imports and reducing the applicable import tax.  "Import activities will begin from tomorrow, and we expect prices to come down to a reasonable level within two to five days," he said. Commerce Minister Muktadir said the government would take all necessary measures to keep the market affordable for consumers. He also urged journalists to present objective reports based on their field observations, saying accurate reporting would help create public awareness, reduce misinformation and discourage artificial shortages and price manipulation. Earlier in the day, the commerce and agriculture ministers and the state minister for food attended a meeting at the Commerce Ministry to review the overall market situation of essential food and agricultural commodities and determine the necessary course of action.

Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) officials have seized contraband goods worth an estimated Tk 2.04 crore, including foreign cigarettes, gold jewellery, banned Gouri cream and foreign liquor, during a special drive at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka. The operation was carried out on Thursday by the Airport A Shift team of CIID following a tip-off, according to a press release issued on Friday. During monitoring of baggage collection from Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight BG-148 arriving from Dubai, customs officials found three unattended suspicious bags on Baggage Belt No. 1. A search of the bags led to the recovery of 370 cartons of Mond brand foreign cigarettes. At the same time, officials seized another 111 cartons of foreign cigarettes from passengers arriving on other international flights, taking the total seizure to 481 cartons. The market value of the cigarettes has been estimated at Tk 21.64 lakh. Including applicable customs duties and taxes – a total tax incidence (TTI) of 621 percent, the total value stands at about Tk 1.56 crore. During the operation, customs officials also searched the hand baggage of passenger Md Tajul Islam, who arrived on the same Dubai flight, and recovered 99 grams of concealed gold jewellery. Verification of his passport showed that he had already imported 100 grams of gold jewellery without paying duties and taxes after entering the country on June 10 this year.   Under the Baggage Rules, 2025, passengers are not entitled to another duty-free allowance for gold jewellery beyond the prescribed annual limit. As a result, the newly imported 99 grams of gold jewellery was seized. The recovered gold jewellery has an estimated market value of Tk 18.75 lakh, while its value, including duties and taxes, is around Tk 30 lakh. Officials also seized 12 kg of banned Gouri cream with an estimated value of Tk 2.40 lakh. In a separate operation, customs officials confiscated 11 litres of foreign liquor, including whisky of various brands, from passengers arriving from Kolkata. The liquor has an estimated market value of Tk 2.20 lakh. Including applicable duties and taxes, calculated at a total tax incidence of 610.30 percent, its total value is approximately Tk 15.62 lakh. According to customs officials, the combined value of all seized goods, including duties and taxes, is estimated at Tk 2,04,07,000. Legal proceedings are underway under the Customs Act, the Baggage Rules and other relevant laws. The CIID said such operations will continue to prevent smuggling, customs duty evasion and the import of prohibited goods.

The stop-start conflict between the United States and Iran appears to have entered a new phase, with Saudi Arabia publicly joining military action against Tehran-backed proxies as diplomatic efforts to end the war once again falter amid deepening mistrust between the two longtime adversaries. Despite several days of relative calm, both sides carried out military strikes over the past 24 hours, raising fears of a return to full-scale fighting and further regional escalation. At the same time, it remains unclear whether either Washington or Tehran has a clear strategy for ending the conflict. While President Donald Trump and his allies have recently claimed that Iran is eager to return to negotiations, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister said Tuesday that Tehran had made no request to resume diplomatic talks for more than two weeks. After an attempted attack on a US base in Jordan was thwarted, Trump returned to threatening Iran on Wednesday while keeping open the possibility of further negotiations. "They've already apologized, but, you know, we got to smack them a little bit," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "It's our turn, and we'll see if we get there with an agreement at some point. But we're going to hit them very hard." Hours later, the US military said it had launched "a powerful response to yesterday's attempted Iranian attacks on U.S. forces based in the Middle East" in a social media post. It did not immediately provide details about the targets. The latest developments reflect a pattern seen repeatedly over the past several months, with Trump alternating between saying a deal to end the war and address Iran's nuclear programme was close and issuing threats aimed at forcing Tehran to accept US demands. The stakes are particularly high for Trump and his Republican Party as the unpopular conflict has disrupted the global economy only months before the crucial November midterm elections. Renewed fighting has also resulted in more US military casualties and raised concerns that Washington is depleting stocks of key air defence systems needed to protect its troops and allies. Saudi Arabia enters conflict as Israel steps back Iran said it fired ballistic missiles at Jordan's Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, a key US military facility in the region, over the past day. Trump said the missiles were intercepted. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, joined the United States in striking several logistics and weapons facilities used by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. The first publicly announced joint US-Saudi strikes came after drone attacks targeted Saudi Arabia, further complicating a conflict that now involves nearly every country in the region. A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military operations, said the two attacks were not linked. Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman was at the White House on Wednesday, where he separately met Trump and Vice President JD Vance, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorised to speak publicly. Drone attacks also caused fires on two natural gas vessels at a port in Egypt, a close US ally and regional mediator. Egypt has so far been among the few Middle Eastern countries spared direct military action during the war. If the attack is confirmed to have been carried out by Iran or its allies, it would represent a significant expansion of the conflict. The US-Saudi strikes came hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left his first meeting with Trump since the two countries launched their war against Iran on Feb. 28. An Israeli official briefed on Tuesday's White House meeting said Netanyahu assured Trump that the United States, rather than Israel, was leading the policy toward Iran. The comment appeared aimed at countering suggestions that Netanyahu was increasingly out of step with Washington over the way forward. However, Israeli officials have privately expressed concern that Trump is seeking to keep the conflict at a low level as the midterm elections approach, according to a person familiar with internal discussions within Netanyahu's government. Both the person and the Israeli official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the matter publicly. The person said Israeli officials are also increasingly concerned about Trump's sensitivity to rising oil prices as the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed to global energy shipments. They are also worried about growing concerns within the US administration over the rapid use of critical missile interceptors. The recent fighting with Iran has further reduced US stocks of Patriot and THAAD interceptors, which were already limited, potentially increasing risks to American troops if hostilities resume, according to an analysis released this week by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank. Gen Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has also warned Trump that the condition of US munitions stocks could affect military operations against Iran, another US official said. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive conversations, said Caine delivered the message as part of his regular responsibility to provide Trump with military advice and options. Failed diplomacy clouds prospects for US-Iran talks The Trump administration currently appears to have no clear strategy for restarting negotiations with Iran over ending the conflict. Although some mediators have been working to revive talks or establish conditions for their resumption, the administration is not actively pursuing negotiations at present, a senior US official said. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said recent developments in the region indicate that a return to direct diplomacy is not imminent. Analysts say the uncertainty and lack of a clear strategy are rooted in deepening mistrust between Washington and Tehran, particularly after an interim ceasefire proposal agreed in mid-June collapsed in recent weeks. Ali Vaez, Iran project director at the International Crisis Group, said senior Iranian officials had been nearly unanimous in approving the memorandum of understanding with the United States. "But now none of them believe that Trump is a reliable negotiating partner," he said. "The problem, I think, is that Trump also has now the same impression about the Iranians." The repeated cycle of negotiations, breakdowns and military strikes is not entirely unexpected. US-Iran relations since the 1979 Islamic Revolution have been marked by failed negotiations, false starts and military actions that stopped short of full-scale war, although the two countries are now engaged in a much more serious conflict. Despite its shortcomings, the 2015 nuclear agreement reached with Iran under the Obama administration was the first major agreement between the two countries since the Algiers Accords in 1981, which ended the US hostage crisis and established a framework for resolving other disputes, including the unfreezing of Iranian assets held by the United States since the Islamic Revolution. However, both sides accused each other of violating the terms of the agreements from the outset. Disputes over alleged violations of the Algiers Accords contributed to a period of intense hostility, including US support for Saddam Hussein's Iraq during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war. Relations improved somewhat after the 2015 nuclear deal, but Trump's decision to withdraw from the agreement in 2018 during his first term, his "maximum pressure" sanctions campaign against Tehran and the US killing of Iran's top military commander Qassem Soleimani in early 2020 pushed relations to new lows.

Road Transport, Bridges, Railways and Shipping Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam on Wednesday said that after the fall of ‘fascism’ and the establishment of a people's government, the next task is to build a more prosperous state for people. "The people's elected government is working towards that goal under the leadership of Tarique Rahman," he said while addressing a special discussion titled "Shashwata July" organised by Dhaka College unit of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal at the Bir Muktijoddha Shaheed A N M Nazir Uddin Khan Khurram Auditorium of Dhaka College. The minister said the fall of ‘fascism’ has been ensured and a people's government has been established to achieve the country's desired prosperity. Rabiul said the July movement taught the nation to renew itself, reform itself and become a more prosperous nation. "It also taught us how to ensure the fall of a fascist government." He said the movement brought about a qualitative transformation in student politics, describing the change as inevitable. The minister said the movement also underscored the need to improve the quality of educational institutions and develop them as centres for nurturing the country's future leadership. Highlighting the legacy of Dhaka College, Robiul said many of its former students are now serving in the civil administration, police, various government departments, ministries and the armed forces. He recalled that admission to Dhaka College had once been a dream for students from across Bangladesh. The programme was attended by the convener of the Dhaka College unit of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, the college's former teachers, former student leaders, leaders and activists of the Dhaka College Chhatra Dal, and general students.

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels said Saturday that they fired missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia in response to Saudi airstrikes on the strategic Red Sea city of Hodeida, in an escalation over vital shipping routes in the Middle East while the United States and Iran vie for control of the Strait of Hormuz. Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the Houthis’ military spokesperson, said in a prerecorded statement that the attack targeted facilities in the Red Sea cities of Yanbu and Jizan that belong to Aramco, the world’s largest oil company. Saudi Arabia’s civil defense said alerts sounded multiple times early Saturday in both cities, but the kingdom didn’t comment further. There were no reported strikes overnight in Iran, in an apparent break from nearly two weeks of consecutive nights of U.S. attacks, though tension remains high following an escalation over the Strait of Hormuz. Red Sea escalation further threatens global shipping The Houthis have said they would close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to Saudi-linked shipping in retaliation for the kingdom’s blockade on Yemen and a recent attack on the international airport in Yemen’s rebel-held capital, Sanaa. “Nothing short of ending the aggression and lifting the blockade, otherwise, it’s all illusion and mirage,” Mahdi al-Mashat, head of the Houthi-led Supreme Political Council governing rebel-controlled territories in Yemen, said of what it would take for the Houthis to not blockade the Bab-El-Mandeb. The Bab el-Mandeb, at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, is a vital shipping chokepoint connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. Around 12% of the world’s trade, including a quarter of its container traffic, passes through the narrows. The Houthis targeted two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea this week. In response, Saudi Arabia struck Hodeida, the Saudi-led coalition opposing the rebels said Saturday. The strikes late Friday hit the port and the state-run telecommunications corporation, injuring two people, said Anees al-Asbahi, a spokesperson for the Houthi-run health ministry. The Saudi-led coalition said it didn’t hit the port but struck “legitimate military targets” in Hodeida province that “were linked to threats to commercial vessels in the Red Sea.” Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, called for “diplomacy and dialogue” to solve the Yemen conflict without “military confrontations” in an interview published Saturday by the state-run newspaper called Iran. No new strikes overnight in Iran “Iran had a peaceful night,” Hossein Kermanpour, a spokesperson for Iran’s Health Ministry, posted on X. U.S. Central Command didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Unlike the previous 13 nights, it didn’t announce new strikes. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to travel to the United States next week and meet with President Donald Trump in Washington on Tuesday, his office said Friday. They last met in Washington in February, weeks before they launched the war. A tenuous ceasefire that halted major operations for weeks has seemed to unravel this month. The U.S. accused Iran of striking three ships in the Strait of Hormuz and responded by striking dozens of targets in Iran, which retaliated by firing at U.S.-allied Gulf Arab states. The U.S. military has renewed its blockade of Iran’s ports. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has advised residents of neighboring countries to stay away from bases with U.S. troops. The war has killed more than 3,400 people in Iran, according to its Health Ministry. Eighteen U.S. service members, 24 civilians in Israel and smaller numbers of civilians including foreign workers and mariners have been reportedly killed across the region. In Lebanon, more than 4,000 people have been killed since Iran-backed Hezbollah militants fired at Israel in support of the Islamic Republic two days after the war began and Israel responded with strikes and ground forces. Thirty-eight Israeli troops have also died.    

The Policy Research Institute of Bangladesh (PRI) on Thursday proposed developing an Inclusive Instant Payment System (IIPS) to unify the country's fragmented digital payment landscape, identifying cross-border remittance as the highest-value use case for the initiative. The proposal was presented at an inception workshop titled "Analysis of the Inclusive Instant Payment System (IIPS) in Bangladesh and Cross-Border Remittance as a Use Case," held at the PRI office in Banani. The study was jointly presented by PRI Research Director Dr Bazlul Haque Khondker and Director MA Razzaque. The proposed system, to be built on the open-source Mojaloop platform, will enable instant, low-cost and interoperable transactions across banks, mobile financial service (MFS) providers and other financial institutions, unifying bank-to-bank, wallet-to-wallet and bank-to-wallet transfers, QR payments, remittances, merchant payments and government-to-person disbursements within a single framework aligned with the National Financial Inclusion Strategy and the Sustainable Development Goals. The study noted that Bangladesh's MFS sector, dominated by bKash, Nagad and Rocket, has expanded into remittances, salary disbursement and government payments but remains closed-loop, preventing funds from moving seamlessly between providers. Earlier interoperability initiatives, including the 2017-2020 BFP-B programme and the ICT Division's Binimoy platform, which was scrapped in 2024, saw limited adoption as voluntary participation gave dominant providers little commercial incentive to interoperate. Citing the Global Findex Database 2025, the study said only 43 percent of adults in Bangladesh own a financial account, while just 34 percent make or receive digital payments, with a 20-percentage-point gender gap that is among the widest in South Asia. According to the presentation, remittances represent the single largest benefit pool for the proposed system. Bangladesh received $30.3 billion in formal remittances in fiscal year 2024-25, but formal inflows stagnated in FY23 despite record overseas employment, with informal hundi channels remaining cheaper and faster for many migrants. While global remittance costs average around 6.5 percent, IIPS-enabled corridors such as Singapore-Thailand's PayNow-PromptPay link have cut costs to below 1 percent, and the study estimated potential annual savings of $250-400 million for Bangladesh from similar low-cost, interoperable corridors. The research applies a panel fixed-effects model using Global Findex and World Bank World Development Indicators data spanning 87 to 107 middle-income countries to simulate the likely impact of IIPS adoption on financial inclusion, digital payments and macro-financial indicators such as remittance flows, comparing a 2026 implementation scenario against a business-as-usual outlook through 2030. The four-stage research pathway includes literature and benchmarking against global instant payment systems such as India's UPI, Brazil's PIX, Pakistan's RAAST and Thailand's PromptPay, followed by ecosystem and survey design, benefit-impact modelling, and policy recommendations for interoperable, low-cost payment rails.

Bangladesh has strongly condemned the Houthis' declaration of a naval blockade against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It believes such actions risk escalating tensions, undermining regional peace and stability, and disrupting international maritime trade, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Wednesday. Bangladesh supports uninterrupted and lawful navigation of international maritime routes, including in the Red Sea, in accordance with international laws such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the statement said. Any disruption in the Red Sea, which is a vital conduit of global trade and energy supply, will result in serious economic consequences for people around the world, it said. Bangladesh, therefore, calls for the safety and security of all seafarers and goods. It also calls upon all parties to respect their obligations under international law, refrain from actions that could jeopardise maritime security, and engage in diplomacy. Bangladesh remains deeply concerned about the continuing instability in the Middle East and reiterates its consistent position that dialogue, diplomacy and peaceful engagement are the only sustainable means to resolve conflicts.

Senior journalist and Crime Reporters Association of Bangladesh (CRAB) executive committee member Abu Hena Rasel died at a hospital in the capital on Wednesday. He was 57. He breathed his last while undergoing treatment at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases and Hospital at 1:20pm, according to CRAB. Rasel was taken to the hospital following a sudden chest pain while taking fuel for his bike at a filling station near the Asad Gate in the capital. He is survived by wife, a son, a daughter and a host of relatives and admirers. His first namaz-e-janaza was held on the Dhaka Reporters’ Unity (DRU) premises in the afternoon. Meanwhile, CRAB President Mirza Mehedi Tamal, General Secretary MM Badshah and other leaders expressed deep sorrow over the death of Rasel and conveyed condolences to his bereaved family. Rasel had been working as a special correspondent at the Khobor Sangjog. He earlier worked for several newspapers, including Bhorer Kagoj, Samakal and Kaler Kantho. He also served in various leadership roles at DRU and CRAB.

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.