Washington (February 20, 2026) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) today released a statement following news that a nuclear deal between the United States and Saudi Arabia would allow some form of uranium enrichment, which could enable Riyadh to produce nuclear material and a nuclear bomb. As Donald Trump escalates tensions with Iran, giving Saudi Arabia uranium enrichment capabilities could potentially explode the conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia and between the United States and Iran.

“Saudi Arabia has already expressed its interest in acquiring nuclear weapons, which would be highly destabilizing for the Middle East and could lead other states to reconsider their nuclear options. Given Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s nuclear ambitions, the Trump administration should insist on the strongest possible ‘gold standard’ non-proliferation measures in any nuclear cooperation agreement, including a blanket prohibition on enrichment and reprocessing of nuclear material and a requirement to adopt the IAEA’s Additional Protocol. Instead, the Trump administration is caving to Saudi demands and is writing a recipe for disaster with its plan to give nuclear-weapon-wannabe Saudi Arabia nuclear technology without the strongest safeguards. As is the case with Iran – which the Trump administration illegally attacked last June and is threatening do so again without Congressional approval – preventing nuclear proliferation in Saudi Arabia and the region should be one of the administration’s highest priorities.

“Congress should use its authority to reject this agreement. Anything less risks transforming the Middle East into a nuclear Wild West and creating a devastating new nuclear arms race in the region.”

As a founder of the national Nuclear Freeze movement, Senator Markey has is the Congressional leader on ending the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Last month, Senator Markey wrote to President Trump urging the strongest possible non-proliferation measures in any revised nuclear cooperation agreement with South Korea. In November 2025, Senator Markey and Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) wrote to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, urging the Trump administration to include the strongest possible “gold standard” nonproliferation measures in any nuclear cooperation agreement with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to foreclose any pathway to a nuclear weapon. In July, Senator Markey introduced the Senate companion to H.Res.317, urging the United States to lead the world in halting the nuclear arms race. In November 2024, Senator Markey wrote to the Biden administration seeking answers about any agreement that would normalize relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Israel in exchange for civil nuclear energy cooperation and a U.S. defense commitment to the Kingdom. As far back as 2017, Senator Markey pressed the first Trump administration on the status of all current and ongoing discussions between the United States and other countries, including Saudi Arabia, on 123 agreements after it was reported that former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn was peddling a plan to build nuclear reactors throughout the Middle East.

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