On Wednesday, a Democratic U.S. senator urged President Joe Biden to include strict nonproliferation safeguards in any nuclear power deal with Saudi Arabia that might be part of a potential normalization of relations agreement brokered by the U.S. between the Saudi Arabia and Israel.
     The Biden administration has been talking with Saudi Arabia and Israel on a potential peace agreement since before the Oct. 7 deadly attacks by Hamas on Israel. The talks have continued during the Israeli war on the militant Hamas group in Gaza. An agreement to help develop nuclear power in Saudi Arabia could benefit the U.S. nuclear industry. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that the negotiations with Riyadh are still underway.
      U.S. Senator Edward Markey is a longtime advocate for nonproliferation safeguards. He said in a letter to fellow Democrat Joe Biden that Saudi Arabia, “a nation with a terrible human rights record”, cannot be trusted to employ its nuclear program purely for peaceful purposes and will probably seek to develop nuclear weapons.
     Markey and other Democrats are critics of Saudi Arabia and its de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, over human rights, his intervention in Yemen’s civil war and the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi that the CIA and other U.S. intelligence agencies assessed was ordered by the prince. Bin Salman has said for years the kingdom will develop nuclear weapons if regional rival Iran does.
     Markey said in a letter to Biden and other officials, “I urge your Administration to ensure that the path towards Middle East peace holds Saudi Arabia accountable for its appalling human rights practices and constrains its ability to become a nuclear power.” The Saudi embassy in Washington has not yet responded to a request for comment.
     The Markey letter was first reported by Reuter. It urges the administration to adopt the so-called “gold standard” nonproliferation safeguards. These are based on the 123 agreement in US nuclear energy law that prohibit uranium enrichment and nuclear reprocessing, two pathways to nuclear weapons. The U.A.E. agreed to abide by these safeguards when it built a nuclear plant in 2021.
     Markey has also urged that the administration insists that Saudi Arabia also be held to the “additional protocol” standards of the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, which requires monitoring and inspections. The U.N. National Security Council did not respond to a request for comment on these suggestions.
     Some experts question whether the timing and political circumstances in the Middle East will allow a U.S.-Saudi deal that leads to Riyadh normalizing relations with Israel.
     Saudi Arabia has called for an immediate truce leading to a permanent and sustainable ceasefire in Israel’s war against Hamas and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected both of these proposals.
     Time is growing short for the Biden administration to guide a US-Saudi civil nuclear agreement and defense pact through the congressional approval process because lawmakers are focusing on campaigning ahead of the Nov. 5 elections in the U.S.