US senators expect vote before Dec. 13 on Trump's Saudi nuclear pact

US senators expect a vote before December 13 on the Trump administration's pact to share nuclear power technology with Saudi Arabia. Senator Jeff Merkley, a Democrat, stated that the Senate will have an opportunity to study the agreement's potential impact on driving a nuclear arms race in the Middle East and undermining global nonproliferation efforts. Merkley, along with Senators Edward J. Markey and other colleagues, has been pushing for the declassification of the proposed deal, including two classified "side letters" reached with Riyadh. In a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, senators noted that such information is typically not withheld in similar agreements with other countries. They argued that access to the full text is required for the Senate and the public to understand the commitments being made. The proposed 30-year nuclear deal involves the construction of AP1000 reactors, a project estimated to be worth tens of billions of dollars and beneficial to Westinghouse. However, some Democratic lawmakers and nonproliferation advocates have criticized the pact for not explicitly barring Saudi Arabia from enriching uranium or reprocessing nuclear waste, which are potential pathways to developing nuclear weapons. This contrasts with the United Arab Emirates' deal, which included stricter measures. Trump has stated the deal would only go into effect if Saudi Arabia normalizes relations with Israel, though congressional aides have indicated this issue is not addressed in the pact itself. Senators have also raised concerns about a hypothetical "black box" arrangement for a U.S.-supplied enrichment plant on Saudi soil, which could lead to security guarantees and complicate diplomatic efforts with Iran.