You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. An intelligence assessment examined Saudi Arabia’s military ambitions as Congress reviews a new civilian nuclear deal between the U.S. and the kingdom.
The deal between the Trump administration and Saudi Arabia will allow American businesses to help develop nuclear power projects in the kingdom.Credit...Tamir Kalifa for The New York Times A classified intelligence assessment provided to the U.S. Congress asserted that Saudi Arabia has left open the option of developing a nuclear weapon, according to American officials. The assessment was sent to lawmakers who are looking into the Trump administration’s agreement to help Saudi Arabia develop nuclear power for civilian purposes.
Some lawmakers from both parties have expressed concerns about the project, fearing that the kingdom could use it to eventually develop nuclear weapons. The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss classified material, emphasized that Saudi Arabia has not made any decision to pursue a nuclear weapon. On one level the assessment is not new.
American officials have long assessed that Saudi Arabia remains interested in having nuclear weapons, given that the country has threatened to build them if Iran did so. A civilian nuclear power program could make that far easier. But lawmakers have worried about the possibility of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.
Israel is an undeclared nuclear power, and Iran has long been trying to enrich uranium, one of the reasons the United States attacked Iran in February. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit andlog intoyour Times account, orsubscribefor all of The Times.
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