Rubio says Saudi nuclear deal will face Congressional review

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday that a nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia will undergo mandatory Congressional review with strict safeguards to prevent weapons proliferation. Speaking to reporters in Manila, Rubio emphasized that Washington would only pursue civilian energy partnerships that block pathways to nuclear armament.

Congressional oversight

"Any agreement that we are going to make with any country in the world on civil nuclear energy is going to be one that will have safeguards in place to ensure that it cannot be turned into a weapons program," Rubio said. He noted that "any deal we enter into with any country will have to go through a Congressional review process, and so we will ensure that in order to get congressional approval, we're going to need to have those safeguards in place."

The comments came one day after US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman finalized the bilateral accord in Washington.

Strategic partnership

Rubio framed the pact as part of broader efforts to strengthen Washington's alliance with Riyadh. "When countries decide they want to pursue a peaceful nuclear program, we prefer them to do it with us," he said, adding that "Saudi Arabia has been an important strategic partner for us. It would make sense for us to enter such an agreement."

Agreement signing

The Energy Department announced on Wednesday that officials had signed the 123 Agreement — formally known as a peaceful nuclear cooperation pact — along with bilateral safeguards. Saudi Arabia has pursued nuclear cooperation as part of its economic diversification strategy to reduce dependence on oil exports.