„The joint American and Israeli military action against the genocidal regime in Teheran and Israel‘s crushing of Iran‘s terror axis have created the possibility to expand the circle of peace,“ Netanyahu said in the statement from his office on Thursday.
Archiv: US Atomic Energy Act (1946)
Trump says Saudi nuclear deal is subject to the kingdom joining the Abraham Accords
„There will be no enrichment of material!,“ Mr. Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform, adding that the deal „will be approved, but is totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords.“
The accords, first signed in 2020, have so far normalized economic and diplomatic relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco. Kazakhstan agreed to join in November.
United States and Saudi Arabia Reach Historic Nuclear Cooperation Agreement
The two agreements also advance U.S. and regional security by upholding high standards of nuclear safety, security, and nonproliferation and strengthening the United States‘ competitive edge in civil nuclear technology.
(…)
Under President Trump‘s leadership, America is restoring its competitive edge in the global civil nuclear marketplace. This agreement builds on President Trump‘s Executive Order, Deploying Advanced Nuclear Reactor Technologies for National Security, and specifically Section 8 on Promoting American Nuclear Exports, which supports an expansion of international partners for U.S. civil nuclear cooperation under Section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended.
Saudis consider nuclear bomb
(September 18, 2003)
UN officials said there have been rumours going back 20 years that the Saudis wanted to pay Pakistan to do the research and development on nuclear weapons.
In 1988, Saudi bought from China intermediate-range missiles capable of reaching any part of the Middle East with a nuclear warhead.
Four years ago, Saudi Arabia sent a defence team to Pakistan to tour its secret nuclear facilities and to be briefed by Abdul Qader Khan, the father of Pakistan‘s nuclear bomb.
Trump to Seek Congress Approval for Saudi Arabia Nuclear Energy Pact That Lacks Safeguards, Sources Say
The agreement does not include the „Gold Standard“ that would block the kingdom from enriching uranium and reprocessing spent nuclear âfuel, both of which are potential pathways to nuclear weapons, said the sources familiar with the agreement.
The agreement also does not â include â the „Additional Protocol“ which grants the U.N.‘s â International Atomic Energy Agency âbroad and more intrusive oversight of a country‘s nuclear activities, such as the power to carry out snap inspections at âundeclared locations, said the sources, who â spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive issues.
Saudi Push for Enrichment Raises Concerns
(November 2023)
The Wall Street Journal reported in September that Netanyahu directed Israeli officials to work with the United States on an agreement that includes Saudi enrichment, but such a deal still would face criticism in Israel. (…)
Given Saudi Arabiaâs public threats to develop nuclear weapons, it may be challenging for the Biden administration to gain support for any agreement that allows uranium enrichment, particularly if the kingdom does not have an additional protocol to its comprehensive safeguards agreement in place. Additional protocols to safeguards agreements were developed in the 1990s when it became clear from the cases of Iraq and North Korea that a comprehensive safeguard agreement alone was insufficient to prevent proliferation. An additional protocol gives the IAEA more access and information about a countryâs nuclear activities.
What a U.S.-Saudi Nuclear âPathwayâ Might Mean for the Iran Talks
(April 16, 2025)
Apparently concerned about the potential risk of Saudi nuclear proliferation, Wright also stated, âThere will definitely be a 123 agreement.â This was a reference to the eponymous section of the 1954 U.S. Atomic Energy Act, which mandates that formal proliferation safeguards must be put in place before American agencies or companies can help a country start up a civil nuclear industry. The âgold standardâ version of a 123 agreement explicitly prohibits enriching or reprocessing nuclear materialâa limitation that only the United Arab Emirates and Taiwan have accepted in the past. Countries must instead agree to import reactor fuel rather than producing it themselves, and allow international inspections as well.
The coming US-Saudi nuclear deal: Keep it honest
(January 5, 2024)
In 1988, the Central Intelligence Agency did discover that Riyadh bought SS-2 medium-range missiles from China but only after the deal was sealed. In 2003, when China exported DF-21 ballistic missiles to the Kingdom, the CIA again found out and was even allowed to verify the missiles were not nuclear-capable, but only after the missiles were delivered.
Several years later, when intelligence finally leaked out that China secretly built missile factories for the Saudis, the Trump administration was mum on whether there was an intelligence failure and allowed speculation that it had blessed the transaction. Then, in 2020, when US intelligence confirmed China was helping the Kingdom mill uranium domestically, it did so, again only after the mining and milling were well underway.
This track record of studied inadvertence, then, brings us to the next worry: MBS wants Washington to green-light the Kingdom enriching uranium…
Normalization for Proliferation? The Saudi Nuclear Strategy and the Price of Peace with Israel
(March 19, 2023)
In general, the Saudis wish to present themselves as Iranâs equals, and if Iran can enrich uranium, say the Saudis, then so can we. In addition, the Saudis want to keep all their nuclear options open, even if they are not intending to work on the development of nuclear weapons immediately.
Saudi nuclear program can be secretly managed – top Israeli sources
(September 14, 2023)
Top Israeli sources have told the Jerusalem Post that there are secret technological ways to ensure that the Saudis do not misuse civilian nuclear items, which the US may give them as part of a three-way normalization deal, for military purposes.
Although there are no guarantees, because the issue is highly technical and there are issues to address regarding the Palestinians and highly complex politics, these technological fixes could be key to locking in a normalization deal between Riyadh and Jerusalem, under Washingtonâs auspices.
U.S. approved secret nuclear power work for Saudi Arabia
(March 27, 2019)
Many U.S. lawmakers are concerned that sharing nuclear technology with Saudi Arabia could eventually lead to a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. (…)
Last month, Democratic House members alleged in a report that top White House aides ignored warnings they could be breaking the law as they worked with former U.S. officials in a group called IP3 International to advance a multibillion-dollar plan to build nuclear reactors in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia.
US senators press Saudi Arabia for peace deal with Israel by end of year
âWe are here at a historic time ⊠and now it is an historic moment of opportunity,â Blumenthal stated. âIt really is a magnificent potential achievement with enduring effect to match the successes of the battlefield with diplomatic successes.
In Jerusalem, US Senator Graham urges Israel-Saudi normalisation before year end
(October 8, 2024)
„We can get you a treaty through the Senate between the United States and Saudi Arabia, a defense agreement like you have in Japan and Australia, if you do it on President Biden‘s watch,“ Graham, who is seen as close to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, told reporters in Jerusalem.
„The next president will have a very difficult time getting 67 votes,“ he said in reference to the two-thirds majority needed in the U.S. Senate for approving a defense treaty.
Senators Express Concerns Over Reports That Saudis Want US Support for Nuclear Program
(Oct 04, 2023)
Amid reports that Saudi Arabia is seeking United States support for its nuclear energy programâwhose capacities critics fear could be utilized to develop nuclear weaponsâa group of 20 U.S. senators on Wednesday urged President Joe Biden to „seriously consider“ whether such a move is in the national interest as the administration brokers a possible normalization deal between the kingdom and Israel.
Lapid slams minister for saying Israel could okay Saudi nuke program
Israel‘s opposition leader Yair Lapid on Sunday took to the website formerly known as Twitter to slam a government minister who suggested Jerusalem could, in certain circumstances, give the nod to a Saudi nuclear program.
In recent months, Riyadh and Washington have held talks on Saudi conditions for progress on normalization with Israel, including security guarantees and assistance with a civilian nuclear program with uranium enrichment capacity.
White House said briefing top Democrats on Saudi-Israel normalization talks
(17.08.2023)
The report came a week after two Democratic lawmakers told The Times of Israel that they were âdumbfoundedâ by US President Joe Bidenâs decision to pursue the normalization agreement in addition to potentially accepting Israel into the US Visa Waiver Program, in what will shore up Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahuâs government at a time when they believe it is egregiously undermining the administrationâs interests with its judicial overhaul and antagonizing policies toward the Palestinians.
White House Targets Key Democrats on Potential Saudi-Israel Pact
(Aug. 17, 2023)
Riyadhâs demands about a civilian nuclear program could also create unique political hurdles in Congress. Saudi Arabia is seeking a partnership that would allow the country to enrich its own uranium, a demand that if it were to exceed the tight restrictions outlined in the Atomic Energy Act, would require the approval of both the House and Senate.