Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) expressed doubts about the Donald Trump administration’s proposed civilian nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia as Congress prepares to review the agreement.
In an interview with CBS News’ Face the Nation on Sunday, Kennedy said he is not comfortable with the agreement at this time. “No. Maybe someday, but not right now,” he said.
Kennedy said that pushing for a nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia while the U.S. is still engaged in conflict with Iran sends a mixed and contradictory signal about American policy in the region.
“We’re bombing a country to keep them from getting a nuclear weapon, but we’re signing a deal with another country,” he said, warning that the Saudi deal, though “commercial” in nature, could be perceived as paving the way for future nuclear weapons.
The Louisiana Senator stressed that his objection was not to civilian nuclear cooperation itself, but to the timing of the agreement. He said, “the world’s on a hair trigger,” with growing global instability driving more countries to prioritize nuclear deterrence.
“It’s just not good timing,” he said. However, the senator said President Donald Trump has tied the deal to Saudi Arabia recognizing Israel, a condition Riyadh is not willing to meet.
Despite his criticism of the nuclear deal timing, Kennedy largely backed Trump’s Iran policy, supporting continued economic and military pressure while opposing a full-scale ground war.
Waltz Details Saudi Nuclear Deal
While Senator Kennedy expressed skepticism, the U.N. Ambassador Mike Waltz said the newly signed U.S.-Saudi nuclear agreement establishes the basic framework, but negotiations are still ongoing to finalize its details. He also highlighted that the deal would mark the first U.S. sale of nuclear reactor technology to Saudi Arabia in decades.
Waltz told “Fox News Sunday that the proposed U.S.-Saudi nuclear agreement is strictly for civilian nuclear power and does not include uranium enrichment. He emphasized that Saudi Arabia has agreed to full international inspections and that the U.S. will not export enrichment capabilities to the kingdom.
Last week, Trump stated that the U.S.-Saudi civil nuclear deal will move forward only if Saudi Arabia recognizes Israel by joining the Abraham Accords. He added that the agreement would ban uranium enrichment and limit Saudi nuclear activities to peaceful civilian purposes.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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