U.N. Ambassador Mike Waltz on Sunday sought to clarify the parameters of the newly signed nuclear agreement between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, while emphasizing in interviews that even as the “tenets” of the deal are in place, discussions are continuing to take place.
In an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Waltz said, “We haven’t sold our nuclear technology in terms of small modular reactors, micro reactors, large reactors, in many, many decades.”
And, he added, “There is no enrichment envisioned in this plan.”
“We are not exporting enrichment capability to the Saudis,” Waltz told “Fox News Sunday.” “These are civilian nuclear power plants, as the Saudis look to diversify. But the difference is, they’ve signed up for full inspections. There is no enrichment.”
The Trump administration announced last week that Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman signed a major civil nuclear deal. While the two agreements would allow private American nuclear companies to export to the Saudi market, the Department of Energy has yet to release key details about the deal.
The deal comes as the administration’s vow to limit Iranian nuclear power continues, and now some lawmakers are warning that the newly inked agreement could ignite a Middle East arms race.
In an interview with CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday, Sen. John N. Kennedy(R-La.) criticized the timing of the deal.
“We’re bombing a country to keep them from getting a nuclear weapon, but we’re signing a deal with another country,” Kennedy said. The world, he added, “is on a hair trigger.”
