President Donald Trump’s proposed nuclear power agreement with Saudi Arabia is expected to face a Senate vote before Dec. 13, which is after the midterm elections.
Senators concerned about nuclear proliferation have secured a vote on the agreement before the end of Congress’ 90-day review period, Reuters reported Friday. Trump submitted the pact, known as a 123 Agreement, to Congress in late August. It entered the Senate record on Sept. 14, starting the 90-day review period during which lawmakers can seek to pass a resolution of disapproval.
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) said the Senate will have an opportunity to examine the agreement’s potential impact on nuclear proliferation and the risk of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. He said he worked with Republicans to secure the vote, alongside fellow Democratic senators Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), according to the report.
Uranium Enrichment Concerns
Democratic lawmakers and nuclear nonproliferation advocates have criticized the agreement because they say it does not bar Saudi Arabia from enriching uranium or reprocessing nuclear waste, two potential pathways for producing material that could be used in nuclear weapons, Reuters reported.
Earlier reporting on the agreement said Congress would have 90 days to review the pact and highlighted concerns from nuclear security experts over whether it could weaken traditional U.S. nonproliferation safeguards.
The United Arab Emirates accepted restrictions on uranium enrichment and nuclear waste reprocessing in its 2009 civilian nuclear agreement with the U.S. Those measures are described by lawmakers as the “gold standard.”
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has previously said Saudi Arabia does not want nuclear weapons but has also said the kingdom would develop them if Iran acquires them.
In July, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) previously argued that the Saudi agreement could weaken U.S. leverage in negotiations with Iran and increase nuclear proliferation risks in the Middle East.
The Trump administration notes that the agreement contains the nonproliferation measures required by law.
Israel-Saudi Arabia Relations
The deal has sparked debate over whether Saudi Arabia can secure the agreement without establishing normal ties with Israel. While Donald Trump has stated that the pact depends entirely on Riyadh normalizing relations, congressional aides noted that the nuclear agreement itself contains no clauses linking the two issues, the report added.
Last month, bipartisan senators also asked the Trump administration to declassify and release information about the agreement, including two classified side letters reached with Saudi Arabia.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Image via Shutterstock
Recent Comments