Concerns Raised Over Saudi Nuclear Program in Netanyahu's Talks with Trump

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed 'deep concern' during his recent meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump regarding the emerging nuclear agreement between Washington and Riyadh for the construction of several nuclear reactors in Saudi Arabia. The American news website Axios and Israel's Channel 10 reported this on Friday, March 8, and the Israeli Prime Minister's Office implicitly confirmed its accuracy through a statement. However, the U.S. government has not yet officially responded. Last week, during his visit to the U.S., Netanyahu met with Trump for the fifth time in the past year at the White House. According to Axios and Channel 10, Netanyahu urged Trump not to pursue nuclear negotiations with Saudi Arabia and to refrain from selling nuclear reactors to the Saudis. Reports indicate that Netanyahu proposed to Trump that if the U.S.-Saudi agreement were to materialize, strict conditions should be imposed on the Saudis, including a commitment not to carry out enrichment on their soil. This condition set by Israel for Saudi Arabia's nuclear program comes amid indications that the Saudis have emphasized uranium enrichment in their negotiations with the Americans. According to these reports, Trump emphasized the necessity of negotiations but told Netanyahu that Saudi Arabia might turn to China and Russia for its nuclear plans. The reports also highlight that Trump is keen on realizing this agreement due to its potential for job creation for Americans. Netanyahu himself stated during a meeting with U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley in New York that he was asked about his opinion on the nuclear program for Saudi Arabia during his trip to the U.S., and he said that the solution is to take enrichment away from Iran and that the JCPOA, which legitimizes Iran's enrichment, should be reformed or canceled altogether. Netanyahu, without mentioning his negotiation with Trump regarding U.S.-Saudi nuclear plans, added that after Iran's nuclear program, other countries in the region have also followed a similar path. According to Axios and a report by Barak Ravid from Channel 10, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office stated that as Netanyahu has previously emphasized, the nuclear agreement with Iran poses many dangers, one of which is the expectation of other countries in the region to achieve similar capabilities, including uranium enrichment. Reports also indicate that two days after Trump's meeting with Netanyahu, Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz, who was also in Washington recently, met with his American counterpart, Rick Perry, but the Israeli Ministry of Energy refrained from providing details about the meeting. Business Insider previously reported that Rick Perry discussed the potential U.S.-Saudi nuclear agreement and its regional implications with British officials during a trip to London two weeks ago. The Saudi government has planned to invest tens of billions of dollars in the construction of 17 power plants, including those based on nuclear energy, for the coming years, but has not yet responded to the 'deep concern' expressed by the Israeli Prime Minister regarding its nuclear plans. In recent years, Israel has prioritized opposition to Iran's nuclear program in its international policies, considering the Iranian regime's threats to Israel's existence, and despite the nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers three years ago, Netanyahu reiterated the need for 'overall reform or cancellation' of the JCPOA during his recent trip to the U.S. Meanwhile, Netanyahu's 'serious concern' over a potential U.S.-Saudi nuclear agreement comes at a time when he has been highlighting the convergence of views between Saudi Arabia and Israel, including the common threat posed by Iran. The Israeli Energy Minister also confirmed last month some cooperation between Israel and Saudi Arabia, stating that some of these arrangements cannot yet be disclosed because the Saudis are unwilling to do so. 'Israel Hayom,' a newspaper supportive of Netanyahu's government, reported on Thursday, March 7, that Israel and Saudi Arabia have recently exchanged letters to coordinate regional affairs, including those related to Iran. According to this report, the exchange of coordination letters between Israel and Saudi Arabia has continued, including in recent days when Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia was on an official visit to Cairo, mediated by a senior Egyptian intelligence official.