Senators Demand Details On US Aid To Possible Saudi “Covert Nuclear Weapons Program”
- Senators Demand Details On US Aid To Possible Saudi “Covert Nuclear Weapons Program”
by Tyler Durden, https://www.zerohedge.com/
The Trump administration has been sharing sensitive nuclear technology and energy information with the Saudis — an issue that’s gained increased scrutiny since the Oct. 2 murder of journalist Jamal Kashoggi by a Saudi hit team at the consulate in Istanbul.
–
American lawmakers now want to get to bottom of it, and a group of senators have notified Energy Secretary Rick Perry to demand answers over how and why he allowed multiple US firms to provide Riyadh with potential nuclear secrets and information sharing typically only available to Washington’s closest western allies. The Senators are also seeking answers regarding the kingdom’s possible development of atomic weapons and the degree to which they’ve received any level of assistance from the United States.
–
Starting a week ago various media reports revealed that Perry had authorized so-called Part 810 approvals, which gave US companies authorization to share otherwise closely guarded nuclear information with Riyadh. Alarmingly, according to Reuters, the “approvals were kept from the public and from Congress.” The approval had been reportedly given first in November 2017, which facilitated the transfer of “unclassified civil nuclear technology”.
–
It appears the Energy Department’s defense will hinge on the necessity of leaving such information sharing programs private in order not to reveal “proprietary business information.” The department has further emphasized “no enrichment or reprocessing technology” was shared with Saudi Arabia.
–
read more.
end