Saudi Arabia Seeks 'Balance with Iran' in Nuclear Negotiations with the U.S.

According to reports from several media outlets, Saudi Arabia is seeking permission for uranium enrichment and processing in negotiations with the United States for nuclear energy, in exchange for selecting American companies and technologies. The Associated Press, Bloomberg, and several other media reported on March 7 that Saudi officials are requesting advanced capabilities in civilian nuclear energy in their negotiations with Washington; they argue that the nuclear agreement with Iran in July 2015 allowed Tehran to enrich uranium at a limited level. Reports indicate that Saudi officials in negotiations with the U.S. state they must be able to engage in activities that could potentially bring them closer to the capability to build a nuclear bomb. This is because, under the current agreement between Tehran and the six global powers, Iran will be able to increase its enrichment centrifuges after 10 years and will be allowed to increase the amount of its low-enriched uranium after 15 years. This part of the JCPOA, known as the 'sunset clause,' has faced severe criticism from Donald Trump and his administration. The Trump administration has called for revisions to this section and other parts of the nuclear agreement, stating that the current agreement is insufficient and that Iran must allow immediate inspections of all requested sites. It must be ensured that Iran will never approach nuclear weapons, the sunset clause must be removed, and it should be declared that the long-range missile program and the nuclear weapons program are inseparable. The U.S. President, his Vice President, and several other Washington officials have emphasized that they will withdraw from the agreement if it is not amended. Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi Foreign Minister, also stated on March 3 that the sunset clause is 'very dangerous' and 'unacceptable.' During the Munich Security Conference, he said, 'We seek to obtain the same rights that others have enjoyed.' Iran has not yet agreed to amend the nuclear agreement and has always stated that it is not seeking to build nuclear weapons. During Barack Obama's presidency, the U.S. government resisted Saudi demands. Many American officials and lawmakers are reluctant to escalate nuclear competition in the Middle East. The U.S. government has previously asked many countries to sign agreements that, in exchange for purchasing nuclear technology from the United States, they would not pursue uranium enrichment. Reports indicate that some Trump administration officials, in connection with the 'America First' trade policy, have raised concerns that the competition to provide nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia may be ceded to other countries like Russia or China. The Associated Press reports that Riyadh is willing to impose restrictions on its planned nuclear activities only if the nuclear agreement with Iran becomes stricter than it currently is. Nevertheless, any agreement with Saudi Arabia must be approved by the U.S. Congress, and reports indicate that several U.S. lawmakers have expressed concern about their country moving away from disarmament policy in the Middle East. Senator Ed Markey recently stated that Congress does not have information about the details of the process and has requested more information from the government. Saudi Arabia is looking to build 16 nuclear power plants over the next 20-25 years, with the World Nuclear Association estimating the cost of this endeavor at over $80 billion.