The document notes that such cooperation would strengthen US security and make it possible to monitor the development of the kingdom's nuclear program.
At the same time, it has caused concern among arms control experts. In particular, the former director of the International Nuclear Energy Agency (IAEA), Robert Kelly, who previously headed inspections in Iraq and Libya, called such an initiative “deeply controversial” and believes that providing Saudi Arabia with technologies for which the United States bombed Iran looks hypocritical.
US Arms Control and International Security Secretary Thomas DiNanno told lawmakers that the agreement has not yet been signed, and the US administration will ensure that nuclear warheads do not appear in Saudi Arabia outside the framework of the non-proliferation treaty.
Nuclear nonproliferation experts warn that increased access to nuclear technology in the region raises the risk of an arms race in the Middle East and could fuel regional tensions.
Context
Nine states in the world have nuclear weapons: the USA, the aggressor country of the Russian Federation, Great Britain, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel. Almost 90% of all nuclear weapons are owned by the Russian Federation (5,580 nuclear warheads) and the United States (3,748 warheads).
In March 2024, the illegitimate Russian President Vladimir Putin said that from a military-technical point of view, Moscow is ready for a nuclear war, and its strategic forces are “constantly on alert.”.
On February 24, 2025, French President Emmanuel Macron said that France was ready to use its nuclear deterrent to defend Europe. Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas responded that France's ability to guarantee a “nuclear umbrella” for Europe is currently “weak,” although he called the idea “interesting.”
