US Intelligence Report: Saudi Arabia Continues Nuclear Ambitions

A classified report from the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) submitted to Congress indicates that Saudi Arabia has not abandoned its pursuit of nuclear weapons capabilities, according to The Washington Post, citing unnamed U.S. officials. This revelation comes amid a July agreement between Washington and Riyadh that could grant the kingdom access to uranium enrichment technology and capabilities under a civilian nuclear program. The deal has sparked significant concern among both U.S. lawmakers from both parties and Israel.

A group of Democratic senators, led by Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Jeff Merkley of Oregon, sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, warning against deviating from established non-proliferation standards. Saudi Arabian authorities did not directly respond to the newspaper's inquiries, instead referring to a prior statement by the country's energy minister asserting that the kingdom's nuclear program is exclusively for peaceful purposes.

The U.S. State Department affirmed that Washington "does not and will not support a Saudi Arabian nuclear weapons program" and defended the recently signed agreement. The CIA declined to comment on the matter.