Saudi Arabia has identified a 110 million-ton deposit containing rare earth elements and uranium through the Jabal Sayid exploration project in the Medina region, about 350 kilometers northeast of Jeddah. Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud announced the discovery at the International Atomic Energy Agency’s General Conference in Vienna while saying the national nuclear project is proceeding according to plan. Estimates cited by the Center for Strategic and International Studies put the deposit’s resources at about 552,000 tons of heavy rare earths, including dysprosium and terbium, and 355,000 tons of light rare earths, including neodymium and praseodymium. The discovery ranks fourth globally by mineral resource value and is notable because rare earths and uranium occur together. That combination could support Saudi Arabia’s development of a domestic nuclear-fuel cycle and create potential export opportunities to the United States, although commercial development would require infrastructure, technology transfer and environmental assessments. The announcement comes as Riyadh and Washington advance civil nuclear cooperation, including agreements covering safeguards, U.S. technology access and a study that could lead to an American-built uranium enrichment facility in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia’s broader rare earth discoveries were valued at $100 billion as of November 2025, up 90% from 2018, while two areas in late-stage exploration have combined estimated resources of 644 million tons.