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🇮🇱 Israel /Energy & Infrastructure

US-Saudi Nuclear Deal Risks Wider Proliferation, Critics Warn

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

Opinion Named sources Context piece
  • The US-Saudi nuclear deal is criticized for potentially leading to wider nuclear proliferation, including Iran, UAE, Egypt, and Turkey.
  • Critics argue that allowing Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium could pressure Iran to follow suit, despite US denials of Iran's right to enrich.
  • The deal's terms could allow Abu Dhabi to renegotiate its own nuclear cooperation agreement with the US, potentially weakening non-proliferation efforts.

The proposed US-Saudi nuclear deal is facing criticism for potentially triggering a dangerous cascade of nuclear proliferation across the Middle East and beyond. Critics argue that greenlighting Saudi Arabia's uranium enrichment capabilities could set a precedent that Iran, the UAE, Egypt, and Turkey will seek to follow, undermining global non-proliferation efforts.

Once Washington greenlights nuclear fuel-making for Saudi Arabia, the spread won’t stop there.

— Henry SokolskiSokolski warns about the potential for wider nuclear proliferation resulting from the US-Saudi nuclear deal.

Henry Sokolski, writing for the Jerusalem Post, contends that the deal, as currently drafted, is a "prescription for much wider proliferation." He points out the irony of Washington offering Saudi Arabia a pathway to uranium enrichment, a capability the US has targeted in Iran. Sokolski warns that deterrence could fail as the number of nuclear-capable states increases.

The US deal, however, as currently drafted, is a prescription for much wider proliferation which no one, including Israel, is likely to survive.

— Henry SokolskiSokolski expresses strong concerns about the broad implications of the proposed nuclear agreement.

Specifically, the deal could embolden Iran, which insists on an "inalienable" right to enrich uranium. While the US has denied this right, a previous understanding allowed for a "conditional" right under certain terms. Critics argue that if Saudi Arabia proceeds with enrichment, Iran can rightfully demand the same, even if its activities are supposedly "safeguarded."

If the Saudi deal proceeds as drafted, Iran can rightly insist that it should have no less a right.

— Henry SokolskiSokolski explains how the deal could compel Iran to pursue uranium enrichment.

Furthermore, the agreement could allow the United Arab Emirates to renegotiate its 2009 nuclear cooperative agreement with the US. That agreement required the UAE to forswear enrichment and plutonium recycling. However, it included a proviso allowing renegotiation if Washington offered more generous terms to any of the UAE's neighbors. This could lead to a regional arms race, with countries like Egypt and Turkey, already pursuing nuclear power, potentially seeking weapons capabilities.

if Washington offered any of the UAE’s neighbors more generous nuclear cooperation, Abu Dhabi could renegotiate the terms of its agreement.

— Henry SokolskiSokolski references a proviso in the UAE's nuclear agreement that could be triggered by the US-Saudi deal.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Jerusalem Post in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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