Israel warns that U.S.-Saudi nuclear pact could spur regional arms race
Israel expressed concern over a new U.S. agreement giving Saudi Arabia priority access to American nuclear technology, citing risks of enrichment capabilities and a potential shift in regional security dynamics.
Washington and Riyadh signed a nuclear cooperation agreement on Wednesday that grants U.S. firms priority to supply reactors and fuel for Saudi Arabia's civilian nuclear program. The deal, which must be reviewed by Congress within 90 days, does not bar Saudi Arabia from using American technology to enrich uranium supplied by third parties, nor does it require the International Atomic Energy Agency to have expanded oversight.
Israeli officials said the arrangement raises alarms. Yoel Guzansky, a senior researcher at Israel's Institute for National Security Studies, warned that allowing enrichment on Saudi soil could revive stalled negotiations and prompt other Gulf states, such as the United Arab Emirates, to seek similar concessions. "Saudi insistence on enrichment in Saudi Arabia ... was the thing that got [previous] negotiations stuck and U.S. administrations, one after another, did not permit enrichment," he said.
Harvard nuclear proliferation expert Matthew Bunn noted that while Saudi Arabia says it does not seek nuclear weapons, the program could eventually provide a pathway to them if regional rivals acquire such capabilities. "But they also want to provide the foundation, over time, for having more options to move toward nuclear weapons, should they feel the need," Bunn told NPR.
Former Israeli defense minister Avigdor Lieberman criticized the pact on public television, saying it could draw the Middle East into a nuclear arms race. Former prime minister Ehud Barak described the deal as evidence of a loss of trust between Israel's prime minister and the U.S. president, and opposition leader Yair Lapid called it a failure of Israel's leadership to prevent a Saudi nuclear program.
The agreement comes amid heightened U.S.-Iran tensions, with recent strikes by U.S. forces on Iranian sites and Iranian retaliation against U.S. bases in the region. Saudi officials have highlighted the need to diversify energy sources, arguing that nuclear power would reduce domestic oil consumption and support export capacity.
U.S. Energy Department officials argue the pact expands American technology exports and strengthens ties with a key Gulf ally, while critics in Congress and among human-rights advocates point to Saudi Arabia's record and the absence of the "gold standard" non-enrichment provisions that were required in the 2009 U.S.–UAE deal.