American Senator Urges Biden Not to Allow Saudi Arabia to Acquire Nuclear Bomb

A Democratic senator in the United States on Wednesday urged President Joe Biden to include safeguards against nuclear weapons proliferation in any nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia. The nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia could be part of a potential normalization deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel. The U.S. is working to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia and is also working on a security pact with Saudi Arabia to encourage it to normalize relations with Israel. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday in Riyadh that the U.S. is nearing the final stages of a security agreement with Saudi Arabia, which would be offered to the kingdom if it normalizes its relations with Israel. According to Reuters, the agreement to assist in the development of nuclear energy in Saudi Arabia could be beneficial for U.S. nuclear companies active in the nuclear technology sector. Senator Edward Markey, a long-time advocate of non-proliferation safeguards, wrote in a letter to his fellow Democratic President Joe Biden that Saudi Arabia, 'a country with a terrible human rights record,' cannot be trusted to use its nuclear program solely for peaceful purposes and will seek to build nuclear weapons. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has long stated that if its regional rival, the Iranian government, produces a nuclear bomb, the Saudi kingdom will also produce nuclear weapons. Markey, in his letter to Biden and other officials, urged the U.S. government to ensure that Saudi Arabia is 'held accountable for its horrific human rights actions' and that 'its ability to become a nuclear power is limited.' The Saudi Embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment on this matter. The agency reported that Saudi Arabia's research reactor is nearly complete, and the kingdom has expressed readiness to fully accept inspections and safeguards from the agency. Raisi defended uranium enrichment to levels close to weapons-grade, and Grossi stated that the agency will assist Iraq in developing its peaceful nuclear program.