According to US intelligence, Saudi Arabia has not ruled out the possibility of developing its own nuclear weapons programme. The relevant document has been sent to the US Congress.
The Washington Post reports, citing US officials.
Against the backdrop of this information, some US lawmakers are concerned about an agreement between President Donald Trump's administration and Saudi Arabia on developing civilian nuclear energy.
The agreement provides for US companies to implement nuclear energy projects in Saudi Arabia. The Trump administration says the deal is intended to strengthen relations between Washington and Riyadh, as well as ensure compliance with nuclear safety and non-proliferation standards.
Critics of the agreement point to provisions which, in their view, could leave Saudi Arabia with the option of enriching uranium. This is what is fuelling concerns about the potential military use of nuclear technologies.
A group of Democratic senators led by Ed Markey and Jeff Merkley said in a letter to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the agreement contains looser restrictions than previous US arrangements in the field of peaceful nuclear energy.
At the same time, the US State Department said Washington "does not support and will not support a Saudi nuclear weapons programme".
Riyadh did not provide a response to the US intelligence information. Earlier, Saudi Arabia's energy minister Abdulaziz bin Salman said the kingdom's nuclear programme would be peaceful and implemented with a high level of responsibility and transparency.
- The agreement between the US and Saudi Arabia is currently under review by Congress. Lawmakers have 90 days to consider it and may try to block it from taking effect with a resolution of disapproval.