What did Saudi Arabia get in the agreement with America?

Saudi Arabia has got 5 big things from this agreement:

• Permission for uranium enrichment: Saudi Arabia may get permission to enrich uranium for its civilian nuclear program. However, this will be possible only if it is justified in a joint American-Saudi study.
• No ‘gold standard’: The agreement does not include a ‘gold standard’ (the UAE model), which completely prohibits enrichment and reprocessing.
• No strict IAEA oversight: The agreement does not include the IAEA’s Additional Protocol, which would have allowed for greater oversight and verification.
• Not a condition of Israel recognition: Trump separated this agreement from the condition of Saudi Arabia recognizing Israel.
• Congress approval required: This agreement will be sent to the US Congress as ‘123 Agreement’. Congress can stop it, but a two-thirds majority is needed to override Trump’s veto.

So will Saudi Arabia now fight against Iran?

Experts look at the answer on two parameters:

• Saudi Arabia’s desire: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has already said, ‘If Iran makes a nuclear bomb, Saudi will also get nuclear weapons.’ That means Saudi’s focus is on balancing Iran, not on fighting a war against it.
• American Strategy: This agreement has been made to strengthen US-Saudi relations during the Iran war. Its purpose is to bring Saudi closer to America, so that the front against Iran can be strengthened.

However, this does not mean that Saudi Arabia will directly fight a war against Iran. Saudi does not yet have nuclear weapons. This agreement paves the way for Saudi to become a nuclear-capable state, which will create a strategic balance against Iran.

Israel’s reaction: ‘Crazy nuclear race’

There has been a very sharp reaction from Israel regarding this decision. However, there was no immediate official statement from the government, but former defense ministers and senior leaders have openly protested.

• Avigdor Liberman, former Defense Minister: ‘Every military nuclear program begins as a civilian program,’ Liberman said. ‘Allowing enrichment on Saudi soil crosses a red line.’ He warned, ‘This will push the entire Middle East into a crazy nuclear race.’ Lieberman has demanded Israel to join hands with the American-Israeli lobby (AIPAC) and pro-Israel groups to lobby the US Congress to stop this agreement."text-align: justify;">Ehud Barak, former Prime Minister: Barak said that the absence of a condition of normalization with Israel in this agreement is ‘a sign of the lack of trust between Netanyahu and Trump.’ He said that if it had been accompanied by strict American monitoring and normalization, perhaps we would have accepted.
• Amichai Eliyahu, Heritage Minister: Eliyahu said, ‘We will do our best to prevent this possibility on the international stage and in our foreign policy.’ Expressing concern, he said, ‘Today Saudi Arabia is in the right direction, but tomorrow it may turn against us.’