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       Saudi Arabia in very interested in purchasing nuclear power reactors. They say that they want to use nuclear power internally so they can export more of their oil for export profits. Major suppliers of nuclear technology around the world are in discussion with Saudi Arabia about supplying those desired reactors.
       The U.S. is no exception. U.S. nuclear companies want the Saudi contracts. There have been negotiations between the U.S. Energy and State Department and Saudi Arabia about making a deal involving U.S. companies. Unfortunately, there have been problems because the U.S. wants assurances that Saudi Arabia will not use U.S. nuclear technology to develop nuclear weapons and Saudi Arabia does not want to give those assurances.
        Apparently, there were plans kept from public view for the U.S. and Russia to supply not just Saudi Arabia but other Middle Eastern countries with nuclear power plants Those secret plans were revealed during the investigation of Russian involvement in manipulating the 2016 U.S. Presidential election. Members of Trump’s inner circle had drawn up a comprehensive and complex plan to build and installed nuclear power reactors across the Middle East. The U.S. and Russia were supposed to supply the fuel for these plants and remove the spent nuclear fuel. Ultimately, the plan was abandoned. There has been speculation that Trump and/or others close to him may have had a financial interest in the plan.
       It has been widely reported that Saudi Arabia is interested in obtaining nuclear weapons, especially if Iran is developing them. There are even reports that Pakistan actually has a standing order for nuclear warheads for Saudi Arabia if and when they want them delivered. Whether or not these reports and speculations are true, if Saudi Arabia obtains nuclear power reactors, other Middle Eastern Arab countries might take that as a sign that Saudi Arabia is working on nuclear weapons and a Middle Eastern nuclear arms race might be triggered.
       Turkey is not an Arab country but it is a major player in the Middle East. Israel has nuclear weapons and is at odds with Turkey. If it looks like Saudi Arabia and Iran are developing nuclear weapons, it is a given that Turkey will want them too.
       If a nuclear arms race starts up in the Middle East, it might not stay confined to that region. To the east, Pakistan and India are two nuclear powers in a tense standoff with each other. They have already fought several wars and the next one might involve nuclear weapons. Then there is China further east which has hundreds of nuclear weapons. If Saudi Arabia, Iran and Turkey acquire nuclear weapons, that would mean that there would be a corridor of nuclear armed nations from the Mediterranean Sea to the Pacific Ocean. Perhaps African nations and even South American nations might be caught up in a race to develop nuclear weapons.
      Aside from the involvement of the U.S. government in building nuclear power reactors in Saudi Arabia, a number of U.S. corporations would be involved in the actual transfer to nuclear technology to the Middle East. Can these corporations be trusted to closely monitor the nuclear technology they supply to prevent any application of that technology to weapons development by Saudi
Arabia? Or would their greed overcome their better judgement and cause them to turn a blind eye to a Saudi nuclear weapons program?
       It would probably be best for the world if Saudi Arabia did not obtain nuclear power reactors while the current regime holds power there. And, in any case, it would definitely be best for the U.S. not to be involved in building nuclear power reactors in Saudi Arabia.