report:

Trump rushing to sell Saudi Arabia nuke technology

TEHRAN (defapress) – A Democratic-led House panel has launched a probe of US nuclear plan in Saudi Arabia, raising concerns over the transfer of sensitive nuclear power technology to the kingdom.

News ID: 75724

Date: 20 February 2019 - 11:12

Key members of the Trump administration pushed a plan to sell nuclear power plants to Saudi Arabia in the months after the inauguration despite objections from members of the National Security Council and other senior White House officials, the Washington Post cited a new report from congressional Democrats as saying.

The 24-page report from the House Oversight and Reform Committee is based on internal White House documents and the accounts of unnamed whistleblowers.

"The whistleblowers who came forward have warned of conflicts of interest among top White House advisers that could implicate federal criminal statutes," Representative Elijah Cummings, the Democrat chairman of the committee, said in a letter to the White House on Tuesday.

The report has risen concerns among security analysts who worry the technology would allow Saudi Arabia to produce nuclear weapons in the future, potentially contributing to an arms race in the Middle East.

It adds that the inquiry into the matter is "particularly critical because the Administration's efforts to transfer sensitive US nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia appear to be ongoing".

Saudi officials have recently voiced interest in buying nuclear power plants to 'diversify the kingdom's energy sources.'

Meanwhile, US President Trump met nuclear power developers at the White House on 12 February to discuss building plants in Middle Eastern nations, including Saudi Arabia.

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