US backs potential new member of the nuclear club
Photo: US President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (Getty Images)
The administration of US President Donald Trump is advancing a deal that could grant Saudi Arabia access to sensitive nuclear technologies, including uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing, according to Bloomberg.
According to documents reviewed by Bloomberg, in the same week that Trump issued an ultimatum to Iran over abandoning its nuclear program, his administration circulated a report outlining the potential transfer of such technologies to Riyadh.
Last month, the White House sent a three-page report to Congress calling for the sharing of sensitive nuclear technologies with Saudi Arabia. The document emphasizes that such a deal aligns with US security interests while giving Washington greater control over the kingdom’s nuclear program.
"Saudi Arabia is an important US partner in the Middle East," the White House said in a statement.
It added that Trump's agreement with Saudi Arabia is a "risk informed agreement on peaceful nuclear energy that reaffirms both countries’ mutual commitment to nonproliferation and lays the foundation for a partnership for the coming decades."
Experts accuse the US of double standards
However, American nonproliferation experts have criticized this approach.
"It bucks all precedent," said Robert Kelley, a former director at the International Atomic Energy Agency who led inspections in Iraq and Libya. "The idea the administration is prepared to give Saudi Arabia the ability to do the very things they are bombing Iran for looks hypocritical."
In January, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moved the Doomsday Clock to 85 seconds to midnight — the most dangerous level in history. Among the reasons cited were strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, plans to create a "Golden Dome" system, and the expiration of the last arms control treaty between the US and Russia.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said that even countries that previously pledged not to acquire nuclear weapons are now openly discussing the possibility.
"But more nuclear weapons in more countries will not make the world more secure — on the contrary," he added. "It is more important than ever to uphold the non-proliferation norms that have served the world so well for the past half century."
Currently, nine countries are considered nuclear powers, but more than 20 others have sufficient industrial capacity, energy programs, and engineering potential to begin developing nuclear weapons. As noted, this would require just 25 kg of highly enriched uranium or 8 kg of plutonium.
It should be recalled that Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman has in recent days urged US President Donald Trump to view Iran as a long-term threat to the region that can only be eliminated through a change of power in Tehran.
According to media reports, Mohammed bin Salman has also supported the deployment of ground forces in Iran and the seizure of Kharg Island, a key oil hub. When Trump hinted at a possible end to the war, the Saudi prince insisted such a move would be a mistake.
