Months after Saudi Arabia and the United States signed a bilateral civil nuclear agreement, classified US intelligence assessments have concluded that Riyadh has not completely ruled out the possibility of developing nuclear weapons, according to The Washington Post.
US officials, speaking anonymously, said the assessment was included in intelligence material recently provided to members of Congress. The documents were submitted alongside State Department assessments that expressed greater confidence in Saudi Arabia’s commitments and the safeguards included in the agreement.
The intelligence assessment has triggered opposition from a group of Democratic lawmakers, who have raised concerns about the potential proliferation risks associated with the agreement.
In a letter to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Senators Ed Markey and Jeff Merkley and other lawmakers argued that the Trump administration had moved away from previous restrictions by accepting arrangements that could eventually give Saudi Arabia access to uranium enrichment capabilities.
The lawmakers also warned that such capabilities could potentially provide Riyadh with the technical means needed to pursue a nuclear weapons program.
The US State Department defended the agreement, telling The Washington Post that Washington does not support and will not support the development of a Saudi nuclear weapons program.
Saudi Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman has also maintained that his country’s nuclear initiative is exclusively peaceful and would operate under strict standards of transparency and responsibility.
Under the civil nuclear agreement signed in July by Abdulaziz and US Energy Secretary Chris Wright, the United States agreed to provide Saudi Arabia with nuclear technology and fuel. The deal also creates a conditional route for domestic uranium enrichment, initially allowing enrichment below 5%, with the possibility of reaching 20% subject to further review.
The agreement was formally submitted to Congress in August and is currently within a 90-session-day review period.
House Democrats have introduced a Joint Resolution of Disapproval, citing concerns about nuclear non-proliferation and the potential consequences of allowing Saudi Arabia greater access to enrichment technology.
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