Actually, it should be a harmless deal: Saudi Arabia had conducted negotiations with the US Department of Energy. It involved the purchase of plans for nuclear power plants worth up to $ 80 billion. So it reports the "New York Times".
However, according to the newspaper, some in Washington fear that the Saudis could in fact have something completely different in mind: the construction of their own nuclear bomb. The paper cites a few points that make one suspicious, citing sources that are supposed to be familiar with the talks.
For example, Riyadh is said to have insisted on producing its own nuclear fuel - although the government could well have favored it abroad. In the United States, therefore, there is concern that Saudi Arabia could use this nuclear fuel for a covert weapons project.
In addition, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is in charge of the negotiations for his country, said some time ago that if Saudi Arabia's great rival Iran is developing a nuclear bomb, "we will follow suit as soon as possible."
Saudis do not want inspectors
According to the New York Times, Riyadh has also refused to sign a deal allowing UN inspectors to conduct their investigations freely in the country.
And when the US Secretary of Energy was questioned about the negotiations in Congress in March, he dodged. Even today, the American government does not want to comment on the demand of the newspaper to the state of the talks.
In the United States, however, the mistrust of the royal family is great - especially after the assassination of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul. "Selling them airplanes is one thing, but it's quite another thing to sell them atomic bombs or the ability to build them," said Brad Sherman to the New York Times, a Democratic member of parliament and a member of the International Relations Committee.
Saudi Arabia in turn denied the newspaper any plans to build a nuclear bomb. The country's nuclear energy program is intended exclusively for civilian purposes.