Trump Regime Pursuing Nuclear Technology Sales to the Saudis
by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org – Home – Stephen Lendman)
Saudi Arabia is a fascist dictatorship run in cahoots with religious extremists – the Middle East’s most ruthlessly dangerous regime after Israel and America’s regional presence.
Other than nations already with nukes, it’s likely the last regime on earth anti-war activists would want to be nuclearized with a potential military component.
The possibility should terrify everyone, mass destruction regionally and beyond greatly heightened if the Saudis have this capability.
A US House Oversight and Reform Committee report raised the issue, saying the following:
“(M)ultiple whistleblowers came forward to warn about efforts inside the White House to rush the transfer of highly sensitive US nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia in potential violation of the Atomic Energy Act and without review by Congress as required by law—efforts that may be ongoing to this day,” adding:
Trump regime relations with the Saudis are “shrouded in secrecy,” Jared Kushner involved with crown prince Mohammad bin Salman on what’s going on – MBS once saying he’s got Trump’s son-in-law “in his pocket.”
DLT, his children and Kushner prioritize wealth and power. Saudi Arabia is a super-wealthy family dictatorship masquerading as a nation state.
It’s a highly valued US client state, the most important Arab world one because of its huge oil reserves and around $750 billion of its wealth invested in US assets.
Trump has gone all-out to assure nothing interferes with US/Saudi business and political relations. He’s had longstanding business ties to the kingdom, including distress sales to royal family members when needing cash to meet debt obligations.
Saudi prince Alwaleed bin Talal earlier said he bailed Trump out twice. Businessman Trump created and registered eight companies to do business in Saudi Arabia.
During an August 2015 campaign rally, he said “Saudi Arabia, I get along great with all of them. They buy apartments from me. They spend $40 million, $50 million. Am I supposed to dislike them? I like them very much.”
According to the Wall Street Journal in January 2017, the Washington-based Trump International Hotel was paid about $270,000 by the Saudi lobbying firm Qorvis MSLGroup – for lodging, catering, and related expenses – plus another $200,000 spent at the hotel.
As president, Trump chose Saudi Arabia for his first foreign trip, sealing what he called a $110 billion arms deal, along with a memorandum of intent to supply the kingdom with weapons worth around $350 billion over the next decade.
Much of the $110 billion deal was ordered before his tenure began, worth tens of billions of dollars, much less than Trump’s touted figure.
The $350 billion figure exists on paper alone. Saudi purchases over the next decade will likely be far short of this inflated amount. Trump’s penchant for exaggeration and lying is well known.
Whatever comes to fruition or not, Trump clearly wants as much Saudi revenue coming to the US as possible. Selling highly sensitive nuclear technology to the kingdom would be reckless, a threat to regional and world security.
According to the House report, the Trump regime is fast-tracking “the transfer of highly sensitive US nuclear technology” to the kingdom without required congressional review – in violation of the 1954 Atomic Energy Act, US law regulating civilian and military uses of nuclear material.
The NEA prohibits the transfer of US technology to another country if there’s a risk that it can be used to develop nukes. The NEA’s Section 123 states that nuclear technology transfers abroad are subject to congressional approval.
The House Oversight and Reform Committee is investigating allegations of Trump regime efforts to sell sensitive nuclear technology to the Saudis that can be used to develop and produce nukes.
Kushner, former national security advisor Mike Flynn and Trump fundraiser Thomas Barrack reportedly support the scheme backed by US commercial interests, standing to make billions of dollars constructing and operating nuclear facilities in the kingdom.
Last year, MBS said “(w)ithout a doubt, if Iran developed a nuclear bomb, we will follow suit as soon as possible.” The Islamic Republic abhors these weapons, wanting them eliminated everywhere.
According to the House report, “whistleblowers who came forward have expressed significant concerns about the potential procedural and legal violations connected with rushing through a plan to transfer nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia.”
“They have warned of conflicts of interest among top White House advisers that could implicate federal criminal statutes. They have also warned about a working environment inside the White House marked by chaos, dysfunction, and backbiting.”
“And they have warned about political appointees ignoring directives from top ethics advisors at the White House who repeatedly and unsuccessfully ordered senior Trump Administration officials to halt their efforts.”
The White House allegedly aims to pursue a “Trump Middle East Marshall Plan,” involving the construction and operation of “dozens of (regional) nuclear power plants” in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan through a company called International Peace Power & Prosperity (IP3).
The House report warned that Trump met last week with “nuclear power developers at the White House about sharing nuclear technology with countries in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia.”
According to the whistleblowers, the Saudis refuse to agree on prohibitions against enriching uranium and processing plutonium unlike other regional countries.
IP3 maintains Russia and China seek to build and operate Middle East nuclear power plants – dubiously claiming only the US can assure nuclear safety, security and regulatory oversight.
In her books titled “Nuclear Madness,” “Nuclear Power Is Not the Answer,” and “The New Nuclear Danger,” Helen Caldicott explained that nuclear power plants are atom bomb factories.
A 1,000 megawatt nuclear reactor produces 500 pounds of plutonium annually, 10 pounds alone needed as fuel for a bomb able to devastate a large city, irradiate it, and make it too unsafe for human habitation.
Of all energy forms, nuclear power is the most dangerous. Safe, renewable energy sources are the only acceptable ones – including wind, solar, hydroelectric, biomass, ocean, and geothermal.
Saving the planet and its life forms may depend on shifting from fossil and nuclear energy to these sources exclusively.
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