US Saudi Civil Nuclear Agreement Raises Safeguards Concerns

A letter sent by the US State Department to a senator has revealed that a proposed civil nuclear agreement between the United States and Saudi Arabia lacks the strict safeguards demanded by Democratic lawmakers.

Last year, the administration of Republican President Donald Trump said it was pursuing a civil nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia aimed at supporting the American nuclear industry and strengthening diplomatic ties between the two countries.

However, nuclear non proliferation advocates have expressed concern following previous remarks by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto ruler, who stated that Saudi Arabia would seek to develop nuclear weapons if regional rival Iran were to do so.

In March, dozens of Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging him to push for the adoption of a long standing United Nations protocol backed by Washington. The protocol would grant the International Atomic Energy Agency broad oversight powers over national nuclear programmes, including the authority to carry out surprise inspections at undeclared sites.

But according to a State Department letter dated 18 May and addressed to Democratic Senator Ed Markey, the proposed agreement would only require Washington and Riyadh to establish a less stringent bilateral safeguards arrangement.

Lawmakers also urged Rubio to insist that any agreement with Saudi Arabia include voluntary commitments under the so called “gold standard” for nuclear non proliferation. Rubio himself had previously supported applying the gold standard to Saudi Arabia during his time in the Senate.

The gold standard, accepted by the United Arab Emirates in 2009 before building its first nuclear power plant, prohibits uranium enrichment and the reprocessing of nuclear waste. Both activities are considered potential pathways towards producing fissile material for nuclear weapons. The State Department letter, however, made no reference to the gold standard.

Paul Gualianoni, a senior legislative affairs official at the State Department, said in the letter to Markey that the agreement is currently undergoing “final review” ahead of Trump’s expected signature.

He stated that the agreement “lays the legal foundation for a multi billion dollar civil nuclear partnership lasting decades between our two countries” and supports several economic and strategic priorities.

The White House did not respond to questions regarding when Trump may sign the agreement or how safety measures would be guaranteed. Instead, it referred to remarks made by Energy Secretary Chris Wright in November, in which he said the agreement includes a “strong commitment to nuclear non proliferation”.

The State Department said it could not discuss the details of the proposed agreement because it remains under final review before signing. A department spokesperson stated that the draft contains all conditions required under US law and reflects “a shared commitment by the United States and Saudi Arabia to strong standards of safety, security and nuclear non proliferation”.