US May Bend Rules for Saudi Arabia to Go Nuclear

Saudi Arabia is moving swiftly to become the next country in the Middle East with nuclear power. Thek Kingdom is on the verge of striking a deal with the US for the purchase of nuclear reactors despite concerns over its refusal to accept stringent restrictions against the proliferation of nuclear weapons, according to a report published in Wall Street Journal.

Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman, who is the de facto ruler of the country, has ambitious plans to diversify the country’s energy sources and is in the market to purchase nuclear power reactors. The potential for lucrative deals is too good to be missed and the US President Donald Trump administration is thought to be mulling over loosening US law to win Saudi contracts, worth billions. The kingdom has refused to be bound by stringent US regulations that restrict reprocessing and enriching uranium for the production of nuclear weapons, Middle East Monitor reported.

With competitors like Russia and China waiting in the wings, Trump is keen to strike a deal with the Saudi’s and breathe new life into the American nuclear industry.

US policy seeks to limit nuclear weapons proliferation especially in the Middle East but Trump may have no option other than to lower restrictions with Saudi Arabia.

Although the Saudi’s have insisted that their program will be peaceful, they have also refused to rule out the right to enrich uranium to weapons grade. A senior Saudi official was quoted by the Wall Street Journal admitting as much. “I’m not saying Saudi would want to enrich uranium tomorrow or anytime soon but they don’t want to be committed to anything that bans them from doing it. It is quite political,” the unnamed senior official said.