The U.S. will be helping to build a nuclear program for Saudi Arabia under a new agreement approved by Trump:
President Trump has formally approved a landmark agreement with Saudi Arabia that will provide the country with a civilian nuclear program and potentially open the door to uranium enrichment in the kingdom’s territory, according to administration officials.
Building up a Saudi nuclear program is a serious mistake. The Saudi government has publicly entertained the possibility of developing nuclear weapons, and this new agreement appears to have none of the safeguards needed to prevent that. Trump’s agreement undermines our government’s commitment to nonproliferation, and it rewards one of the worst governments in the world with advanced nuclear technology.
The key issue is that the agreement with the Saudis falls far short of the 123 agreements that the U.S. has made with other governments. According to Reuters, “the pact does not include the “gold standard” barring Saudi Arabia from enriching uranium and processing spent atomic fuel — both possible pathways to making material for a warhead — or an “additional protocol” of extra international oversight.”
Even if the de facto ruler of the kingdom weren’t a monstrous war criminal, this would be a bad idea. Providing such technology to the likes of Mohammed bin Salman, the butcher of Yemen, is outrageous. It would be foolish to let someone like that have access to the nuclear fuel cycle. It risks making the Saudi government an even bigger regional menace than they already are.
