International Relations · 25 Jul 2026

Gold Standard 123 Agreement

Consider the following Assertion (A) and Reason (R): Assertion (A): The 2009 U.S.-UAE civil nuclear cooperation agreement is referred to as the region's non-proliferation "Gold Standard." Reason (R): Under that agreement, the UAE legally renounced both domestic uranium enrichment and spent-fuel reprocessing and signed the IAEA Additional Protocol. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above Assertion (A) and Reason (R)?

ABoth A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
BBoth A and R are true but R is NOT the correct explanation of A
CA is true but R is false
DA is false but R is true

Tests the ability to evaluate causal linkage between two related facts rather than recall either fact in isolation.

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This question is based on: U.S. announces civilian nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia, contingent on Abraham Accords
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About this question

Why in news

The U.S. and Saudi Arabia announced a civilian nuclear deal reportedly permitting uranium enrichment, directly contradicting President Trump's public claim of "no enrichment," and raising questions about whether the 2009 UAE Gold Standard is being abandoned.

Why for UPSC

Assertion-Reasoning questions test whether an aspirant understands not just isolated facts but the causal logic connecting them - precisely the kind of understanding needed to evaluate whether the Saudi deal represents a genuine departure from precedent.

Prelims summary

The UAE's 2009 123 Agreement is called the "Gold Standard" because it renounced both enrichment and reprocessing while accepting the IAEA Additional Protocol - the benchmark against which the reported Saudi deal is now being measured.

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