Secret documents provided to the U.S. Congress contain an assessment by the American intelligence community that Saudi Arabia has not ruled out developing a nuclear weapons program. U.S. officials told The Washington Post, reports UNN.
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This alarming intelligence forecast, the newspaper writes, has heightened concerns among some U.S. lawmakers about U.S. President Donald Trump's agreement to help Saudi Arabia create a civilian nuclear program, which they fear could facilitate the development of nuclear weapons and trigger an arms race in the unstable Middle East.
The nuclear agreement allows U.S. companies to begin implementing nuclear energy projects worth tens of billions of dollars in Saudi Arabia, which the administration hopes will strengthen U.S.-Saudi ties and prevent the kingdom from cooperating with U.S. adversaries such as Russia and China.
Announcing the agreement in July, the administration said it would "help strengthen the security of the United States and the region by upholding high standards of nuclear safety, security, and nonproliferation, while also strengthening the competitive advantages of the United States in civilian nuclear technologies."
However, a growing number of Democratic U.S. lawmakers are expressing concern that the agreement creates a path to enriching uranium in Saudi Arabia to nearly 20 percent, heightening fears that some of the nuclear material could be used for military purposes. A 90-day review period is underway in Congress, and lawmakers could pass legislation blocking the agreement if they manage to secure sufficient support.
"Through this agreement, the Trump administration is departing from precedent by accepting weaker restrictions and yielding to Saudi demands, agreeing to a process that will almost certainly allow Riyadh to acquire the means to enrich uranium and possibly develop nuclear weapons," a group of Democratic senators led by Senators Ed Markey and Jeff Merkley said Friday, September 25, in a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The State Department contributed to the preparation of the classified documents sent to Congress last month, officials said. According to them, the department appears more confident in the agreement's guarantees and the guarantees of the Saudi government.
Merkley told The Post that the United States should not take Saudi Arabia at its word on such an important matter.
"This is utter nonsense," he said in an interview, arguing that the Saudis' demands, which include the ability to produce nuclear fuel domestically rather than import it, indicate a desire to create a program not intended exclusively for civilian use.
"If they had abandoned the intention to develop nuclear weapons, they would have given up domestic enrichment and reprocessing capabilities, wouldn't they? They would have agreed to extensive IAEA inspections," he said, referring to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The Saudi government did not respond directly to The Post's questions but provided a previous statement by its energy minister, Abdulaziz bin Salman, who said the program would be "peaceful" and developed with "the highest level of responsibility and transparency."
The U.S. State Department defended its support for the agreement, saying in a statement to The Post that the United States "does not support and will not support a Saudi Arabian nuclear weapons program."
"This reflects a proactive, realistic approach to the need to expand and strengthen cooperation in nuclear energy while maintaining the strongest nonproliferation standards achievable through diplomacy," the statement said.
The CIA declined to comment.
The agreement initially limits Saudi Arabia's uranium enrichment to less than five percent, but after further study and a written agreement, it allows this limit to be increased to 20 percent, a level that permits enrichment to weapons-grade material fairly quickly. The enrichment restrictions were previously reported by The Wall Street Journal.
A frequently cited concern among experts is Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's comments in 2018, in which he warned that Riyadh would develop nuclear weapons if Iran did so.
"Without a doubt, if Iran developed a nuclear bomb, we would follow suit as soon as possible," he said.