Washington, D.C., July 22 (ANI): U.S. President Donald Trump has approved a nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia that includes limited safety measures, marking a significant diplomatic victory for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.
The agreement has raised concerns over whether it contains sufficient safeguards to prevent uranium enriched in Saudi Arabia from being diverted for weapons use. Critics argue that Washington’s efforts to curb Iran’s nuclear program could be undermined by allowing a regional rival to develop domestic uranium enrichment capabilities.
While the agreement could prevent China and Russia from gaining a foothold in Saudi Arabia’s civilian nuclear sector, concerns remain about the absence of stronger nonproliferation safeguards, Robert Einhorn, a former senior State Department official who advised both Republican and Democratic administrations on nuclear policy, told The Wall Street Journal.
“The agreement could help revitalize the U.S. nuclear industry, strengthen U.S.-Saudi ties and deny Russia and China a strategically important role in the Saudi nuclear program. But unless it contains adequate constraints, including on enrichment, it could increase nuclear proliferation risks in the Middle East and beyond,” Einhorn said.
According to the report, the agreement is expected to generate tens of billions of dollars for U.S. companies involved in developing Saudi Arabia’s nuclear energy infrastructure. Riyadh’s primary objective, however, is securing domestic uranium enrichment capabilities.
Under the agreement, the United States and Saudi Arabia will conduct a joint two-year study to determine whether enriching uranium inside the kingdom is commercially viable compared with importing nuclear fuel. If the study reaches a favorable conclusion, U.S. companies would build a uranium enrichment facility in Saudi Arabia, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The report said Saudi Arabia rejected the “gold standard” commitment to permanently forgo domestic uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing, a pledge previously accepted by the neighboring United Arab Emirates.
Saudi officials have also declined to adopt the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Additional Protocol, which provides for enhanced inspections and verification of civilian nuclear activities.
Despite concerns that the lack of these safeguards could increase the risk of nuclear proliferation or fuel a regional arms race, Trump administration officials said a separate bilateral agreement with Riyadh would provide effective oversight of U.S.-supplied nuclear facilities. Critics, however, remain skeptical of those assurances.
Foreign policy analysts have also criticized the agreement because previous negotiations under former President Joe Biden had linked progress on a civilian nuclear deal to Saudi Arabia’s normalization of relations with Israel. According to The Wall Street Journal, critics argue that Washington has now offered a nuclear agreement without securing comparable strategic concessions from Riyadh.
They also contend that granting Saudi Arabia uranium enrichment capabilities places Washington in a difficult position as it simultaneously demands that Iran accept strict limits on its own nuclear program.
Additional concerns stem from Saudi Arabia’s refusal to rule out future military nuclear ambitions. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has previously stated that the kingdom would pursue a nuclear weapon if Iran were to acquire one, The Wall Street Journal reported. (ANI)
About The Author
