President Donald Trump has sent Congress a civil nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia and is still saying it does not go ahead unless Riyadh recognizes Israel. The classified text went to Capitol Hill on Monday under the Atomic Energy Act, according to a Trump administration official, a congressional aide, and two others who spoke to the Associated Press. Reuters was told the same: the pact, reached in July, was transmitted Monday and is expected to reach committees on Wednesday. It would let U.S. companies export civilian nuclear technology to the kingdom.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright signed it in Washington last month with his Saudi counterpart. The next day Trump added the condition that Saudi Arabia join the Abraham Accords. “The president’s position has not changed that the agreement will only move forward if Saudi Arabia joins the Abraham Accords,” a U.S. official told Reuters by email. Officials would not say whether that demand is actually written into the classified document. The Saudi embassy in Washington had no immediate comment. AP reported the Saudis were taken by surprise when Trump tied completion of the deal to recognition of Israel.
Congress has 90 days in session to review a so-called 123 agreement. If it does not pass a joint resolution of disapproval, the deal can take effect without a vote. Trump could veto a rejection, which would then need a two-thirds override. It is unusual for the entire text of such a pact to be classified; earlier 123 deals were published, sometimes with secret annexes. This one is meant to run 30 years. Reuters said it calls for AP1000 reactors, a project worth tens of billions of dollars that would benefit Westinghouse, jointly owned by Cameco and Brookfield. U.S. firms would help build the program after a joint study.
The politics are stacked against a clean landing. Saudi Arabia has said recognition of Israel requires a clear path to a Palestinian state. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected that as a security threat. Some lawmakers, including Democrats, and nonproliferation advocates argue the text does not bar Saudi uranium enrichment or reprocessing, the two routes toward a bomb. The United Arab Emirates accepted that “gold standard” in its 2009 deal. The administration says this pact has the nonproliferation measures the law requires. Henry Sokolski of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center told Reuters that starting the clock “is hardly ideal if you’re serious about no enrichment and recognition of Israel,” because Congress could let the nuclear piece proceed without those conditions.
Sources: Associated Press; Reuters; The Wall Street Journal (first report of the submission, via AP).
