A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
The U.S. has agreed to build and run nuclear energy plants in Saudi Arabia. The Gulf state is rich in oil, howver it's been trying to pivot to other energy sources, and Saudi Arabia says the kingdom would only build a nuclear weapon if Iran pursues one first. After the Trump administration announced the deal, the president posted on Truth Social that it will be conditioned upon Saudi Arabia normalizing relations with Israel, which could throw the agreement into question. First, what we know at this moment.
With us now is NPR's Emily Feng in Tel Aviv. Emily, so this agreement - first tell us what's in it and actually, too, what's not.
EMILY FENG, BYLINE: So it would allow American companies to run commercial nuclear power plants on Saudi soil for decades to come. And under the agreement, Saudi Arabia is not permitted to reprocess American nuclear material for weapons. But there is nothing in this agreement, and a security protocol attached, that stops the kingdom from using these plants to, say, enrich uranium or other nuclear fuel that's provided by other countries - something that the U.S. made the United Arab Emirates, another Gulf country, promise not to do in a previous energy deal back in 2009.
So this agreement is sending shock waves through the Middle East and especially in Israel, where I am right now, because Saudi Arabia has been angling for nuclear cooperation with the U.S. for at least a decade. And there had been questions about the kingdom's human rights abuses, including from then-senator and now Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and also Saudi Arabia's possible aspirations for a nuclear weapon. And all that stalled energy cooperation until now.
Now, the U.S. Energy Department argues this deal expands American technology exports. And the agreement does tie the U.S. and Saudi Arabia closer together at a time when Gulf states, including the Kingdom of Saud, have really paid a price for aligning with the U.S. because they are still getting hit hard by Iranian drone and artillery strikes in a war with Iran that the U.S. started. And they're also dealing with the resulting economic shock because Saudi Arabia has seen its ability to export oil curtailed.
MARTÍNEZ: Now, although Israel has never confirmed this, it's widely believed Israel has nuclear weapons already. Considering that you are there and you said that it has sent shock waves through Israel, what's been the reaction there?
FENG: Israel is alarmed, to say the least. Former Defense Minister and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman here criticized this agreement on the public broadcaster yesterday.
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AVIGDOR LIEBERMAN: (Non-English language spoken).
FENG: Saying here that it risks pulling the entire Middle East into an escalating nuclear arms race. Now, this nuclear energy agreement is also deepening worries here in Israel, which is a major American ally that Trump, and therefore the U.S., are increasingly divergent from Israel. Ehud Barak, a former prime minister of Israel, told the army-run radio station this.
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EHUD BARAK: (Non-English language spoken).
FENG: He says it's a sign of the loss of trust between Netanyahu and Trump, the implication being that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has somehow messed up Israel's relationship with Trump.
MARTÍNEZ: OK. Now, one more thing, Emily, considering that you're nearby. Iran - what's happening there?
FENG: U.S. Central Command said it began strikes on Iranian military and logistics sites for what has been almost two weeks running now. Iran says it targeted three U.S. bases in Kuwait plus American military infrastructure in Jordan and Qatar. And President Trump is now saying he's aware of reports that Iran moved uranium enrichment centrifuges deep under a mountain, which he is warning the U.S. might hit soon.
MARTÍNEZ: All right. That's NPR's Emily Feng. Emily, thank you very much.
FENG: Thank you, A. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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