Energy Secretary Rick Perry has signed at least six “secret” authorizations recently allowing a number of American companies to sell nuclear technology and provide assistance to Saudi Arabia int he development of such programs.
The Trump Administration has been pursuing such sales for awhile. The
companies involved in the deals have not yet been made public, and
officials say those companies specifically asked Trump to keep their
involvement an official secret.
Legally the US is forbidden from providing anything related to nuclear
weaponry development to the Saudis. Officially, this means the deals so
far are strictly about civilian programs, and a pair of nuclear power
plants the Saudis might like to build some day.
In practice though, the Saudis have suggested that they oppose nuclear
proliferation but might have to get nuclear weapons themselves. It is
this sort of admission that has made Congress very clear that the US
should not be providing them technology at all. As with everything else,
however, President Trump’s interest in juicy Saudi contracts means
legal and practical restrictions are thrown out the window, and
everything will be kept secret enough that there is little to no chance
of oversight.
US Approves Secret Nuclear Sales to Saudi Arabia
Companies asked to keep involvement secret
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
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