WSJ: US intel raises alarm over Saudi Arabia’s nuclear ambitions

Classified US intelligence assessments provided to Congress say Saudi Arabia has not ruled out developing a nuclear weapons programme, according to US officials cited by The Washington Post, intensifying scrutiny of President Donald Trump’s agreement to expand civilian nuclear cooperation with Riyadh.

The deal would allow US companies to pursue tens of billions of dollars in nuclear-energy projects in Saudi Arabia. The Trump administration says it will strengthen US-Saudi ties and limit Riyadh’s cooperation with countries including Russia and China, while maintaining strict nonproliferation standards. The State Department said the United States “does not and will not support a Saudi nuclear weapon program.”

Democratic lawmakers have raised particular concerns over provisions that initially cap Saudi uranium enrichment below 5% but could allow it to rise to 20% after an additional study and written agreement. They argue that the arrangement could create a pathway toward military nuclear capabilities.

“With this deal, the Trump administration is departing from precedent, adopting looser restrictions, and caving to Saudi demands by agreeing to a process that is all but certain to allow Riyadh to acquire the means to enrich uranium and possibly develop nuclear weapons,” Senators Ed Markey and Jeff Merkley said in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The agreement also does not require Riyadh to adopt the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Additional Protocol, which provides inspectors with broader access to nuclear facilities and research sites. Twenty nonproliferation experts, including former IAEA chief Hans Blix, warned Congress that the arrangement could make it harder to detect undeclared weapons activity.

Saudi Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman has said the programme will be “peaceful” and developed with “the highest levels of responsibility and transparency.” US officials said the State Department’s assessment was more confident than the intelligence community’s in the deal’s safeguards and Saudi assurances.

The agreement is under a 90-day congressional review, during which lawmakers can seek to block it. Concerns are heightened by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s 2018 warning: “Without a doubt, if Iran developed a nuclear bomb, we would follow suit as soon as possible.”

Trump has also made Saudi normalisation of relations with Israel a condition of the nuclear deal, although analysts say Riyadh is unlikely to agree while Israel opposes the creation of a Palestinian state.

By Tamilla Hasanova