Saudi nuclear deal adds new wrinkle if Iran talks resume
Should the United States and Iran return to the negotiating table, the newly reached US-Saudi nuclear deal could give Tehran fresh leverage.
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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has approved a US-Saudi civilian nuclear agreement as the war with Iran rages, potentially giving Riyadh an enrichment capability that he wants Tehran to forgo.
The decades-long, multibillion-dollar deal gives US companies a leading role in supplying reactors and developing Saudi Arabia’s civilian nuclear program, according to the US Energy Department announcement on Wednesday.
Like Iran, Saudi Arabia is a signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and has pledged not to build or acquire nuclear weapons. But experts warn that a Saudi civilian enrichment program could give Tehran justification to resist tighter nuclear restrictions if talks with Washington resume.
