US-Saudi nuclear deal ‘glide path’ to bomb, senior House Dem tells JNS

Representative Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) has voiced strong objections to a U.S.-Saudi nuclear agreement, warning it could put Saudi Arabia "on a glide path to have a nuclear weapon in 10 to 15 years." Sherman, a senior Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, stated that the deal, submitted to Congress by the Trump administration, "clearly envisions enrichment and reprocessing" of uranium without International Atomic Energy Agency inspections, making it "worse than the JCPOA." He highlighted concerns that the agreement explicitly allows uranium enrichment on Saudi soil under conditions determined solely by the President, not Congress. Sherman also noted a blank page in the classified section of the agreement, labeled "to be filled in later," suggesting unresolved terms. He expressed fears that a Saudi nuclear weapon would undermine the Non-Proliferation Treaty and could lead to other nations like Egypt and Turkey developing their own nuclear capabilities. Despite the unlikelihood of Congress blocking the deal, Sherman plans to introduce a resolution of disapproval and appeal to public opinion.