US-Saudi Nuclear Deal Causes Concern in Israel

According to a statement from the US government, the commitment called Agreement 123 will provide American companies with broad access to the Saudi nuclear energy program, under “high standards of nuclear safety, security and non-proliferation”.

Politicians from Israel and the United States have expressed concern about the agreement. According to information from the Reuters agency, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s opponent in the October election, declared that the commitment “is a serious strategic failure”, which puts Israeli security “at risk”.

“Nuclear enrichment on Saudi soil could lead to a regional nuclear race and a dangerous loss of control,” he added.

Former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, currently a member of the Knesset, was in the same vein, declaring that “the civilian nuclear program in Saudi Arabia will result in nuclear weapons and lead to an unbridled arms race throughout the Middle East.”

At X, US Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said that “this deal will trigger a nuclear race in the region, further discouraging Iran from limiting its own program.”

International press organizations are recalling statements made by Saudi officials in 2018, when the United States withdrew from the nuclear agreement with Iran.

In an interview with CBS News, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, then defense minister and now prime minister, said that the country would “without a doubt” develop nuclear weapons if Iran obtained them.

In an interview with CNN, Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said the same. “We have made it very clear that if Iran acquires nuclear capabilities, we will do everything possible to do the same,” he promised.

Sandro Teixeira Moita, professor of the postgraduate program in military sciences at the Army Command and General Staff School (Eceme), said in an interview with People’s Gazette that the Saudis, in the name of their program to modernize and diversify their economy, have financed research into sources of energy other than oil, such as wind and solar, “taking advantage of the geographical condition of having sunshine all year round”.

“The nuclear issue is an old dream, but, unlike other sources, it has always been blocked by the geopolitical issue of the region and by the United States. This time, they have a favorable (American) government and, with this announcement, it seems that they have effectively succeeded. Whether it will really just be peaceful, is the $1 billion question,” said the expert.

Teixeira Moita said that the announcement made this Wednesday was generic and left many questions in the air.

“We will have to wait to understand the meaning (of the Saudi nuclear program). If the enrichment (of uranium) is around 4% or 5%, it is a peaceful program. If it is above 20%, as the popular expression goes, ‘there is a lump in it’. In addition to the enrichment levels, it is necessary to observe whether the Saudis want a full cycle program. Those who have the full cycle (of uranium enrichment) can, yes, seek a greater nuclear capacity”, said the analyst.

Trump stated this Thursday (23) that the nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia does not provide for uranium enrichment by the kingdom and will only be applied if the Arab country establishes diplomatic relations with Israel.

Despite the promises of exclusively civilian purposes, Teixeira Moita said that the announcement of the nuclear agreement at this time attracts attention.

“In 2018, Mohammed bin Salman was very clear when he said that if Iran sought a nuclear weapon, Saudi Arabia would not be left behind. He must be looking for what we call deterrence or deterrence. Despite the agreement (to restore diplomatic relations with Iran) brokered by China (in 2023), the war that began in February showed the Saudis that the Iranians cannot be completely trusted, especially with this new phase, when we are seeing attacks against Saudi Arabia and its infrastructure, even more so with this issue involving the Houthis (Iran’s allies)”, said the expert, citing the naval blockade and attacks on Saudi commercial ships in the Red Sea that are being carried out by the regime that controls western Yemen.

“Giving nuclear capacity to a country that is at war is letting a genie out of the lamp, which creates problems even with Israel,” he added.

Regarding the argument that the agreement could encourage Iran to accelerate its nuclear program, Teixeira Moita said that the Persian regime would have “great difficulty” in doing so given the current military and economic pressure from the United States.

“This would involve moving personnel and carrying out tests. I doubt that Iran will be able to do everything underground, given the penetration capacity of Israeli intelligence in the country. The device would have to be assembled in one place and transported to a test site. Furthermore, it is necessary to have enough enriched uranium for the core of the test bomb and for the first bomb in the arsenal. There is no point in testing and not having material for the second”, explained the analyst.