Israeli officials warn US-Saudi deal could lead to nuclear weapons, discourage Israel normalization

Israeli officials are expressing alarm over a potential US civilian nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia, which reports suggest the Trump administration may announce soon. The core concern is that US companies assisting Saudi Arabia in building civilian nuclear energy plants could ultimately pave the way for Riyadh to develop nuclear weapons, especially given the plants' capacity for uranium enrichment and reprocessing without stringent oversight.

This proposed arrangement also jeopardizes a significant incentive for Saudi Arabia to normalize relations with Israel. The Biden administration had previously linked such nuclear access to Saudi acceptance of open ties with Israel, an effort that was disrupted by the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack. Reports indicate that former President Trump intends to proceed with the nuclear program independently of normalization requirements, though no official announcement has been made.

Israeli opposition politicians have been more direct in their warnings. Former defense ministers Avigdor Liberman and Benny Gantz cautioned that a US-Saudi nuclear deal could ignite a regional arms race. Liberman stated on X that a "civilian nuclear program in Saudi Arabia will end with nuclear weapons [production] and lead to a mad arms race across the entire Middle East." This development could further embolden Iran, a Shia rival, which already possesses enrichment capabilities, potentially escalating its pursuit of a nuclear bomb.

Yair Golan, a former IDF major general, lamented that the long-desired Israeli-Saudi deal would have fostered crucial diplomatic ties and anchored a strategic regional alliance against Iran. He suggested that offering Saudi Arabia such capabilities without the normalization anchor is a strategic misstep.

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a civilian nuclear program in Saudi Arabia will end with nuclear weapons [production] and lead to a mad arms race across the entire Middle East.