US Approves Secret Nuclear Sales to Saudi Arabia

Companies asked to keep involvement secret

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.

Author: Jason Ditz

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.