Saudi Uranium Enrichment Deal, Trump Defends Iran War, GOP Congress Out Of Sync

**Michelle Martin** (0:02)
President Trump went to war with Iran to stop it from enriching uranium.

**A Martinez** (0:06)
Now he signed a deal that could let Saudi Arabia do just that. Will the deal spark a Middle East nuclear arms race?

**Michelle Martin** (0:13)
I'm Michelle Martin, that's A Martinez, and this is Up First from NPR News.
President Trump is threatening to bomb bridges and power plants in Iran and is telling his supporters the war is a win. He says military action in Iran will pay for itself. The way he claims it did in Venezuela. But with gas prices up again, are MAGA voters losing patience.

**A Martinez** (0:35)
And Republicans in Congress are working to get a lot done before a month-long summer break. The legislation that just passed the House will need to be overhauled to get through the Senate. Both chambers are led by Republicans, so why aren't they in sync? Stay with us, we've got news you need to start your day.
The US has agreed to build and run nuclear energy plants in Saudi Arabia.

**Michelle Martin** (1:00)
The Gulf state is rich in oil, but it's been trying to pivot to other energy sources. And while Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince has said the kingdom does not want nuclear weapons, he has also said Riyadh will pursue one if Iran develops a nuclear weapon first.

**A Martinez** (1:14)
With us now is MPR's Emily Feng in Tel Aviv. Emily, so this agreement, first tell us what's in it, and actually too, what's not.

**Emily Feng** (1:23)
So it would allow American companies to run commercial nuclear power plants in Saudi soil for decades to come, and under the agreement, Saudi Arabia is not permitted to reprocess American nuclear material for weapons. But there is nothing in this agreement and a security protocol attached that stops the kingdom from using these plants to, say, enrich uranium or other nuclear fuel that's provided by other countries, something that the US made the United Arab Emirates, another Gulf country, promise not to do in a previous energy deal back in 2009
So this agreement is sending shockwaves through the Middle East and especially in Israel, where I am right now, because Saudi Arabia has been angling for nuclear cooperation with the US for at least a decade. And there had been questions about the kingdom's human rights abuses, including from then Senator and now Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and also Saudi Arabia's possible aspirations for a nuclear weapon, and all that stalled energy cooperation until now. Now, the US Energy Department argues this deal expands American technology exports, and the agreement does tie the US and Saudi Arabia closer together at a time when Gulf states, including the Kingdom of the South, have really paid a price for aligning with the US because they are still getting hit hard by Iranian drone and artillery strikes and a war with Iran that the US started, and they are also dealing with the resulting economic shock because Saudi Arabia has seen its ability to export oil curtailed.

**A Martinez** (2:49)
Now, although Israel has never confirmed this, it's widely believed Israel has nuclear weapons already. Considering that you are there and you said that it has sent shock waves to Israel, what's been the reaction there?

**Emily Feng** (3:01)
Israel is alarmed, to say the least. Former Defense Minister and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman here criticized this agreement on the public broadcaster yesterday.
Saying here that at risk pulling the entire Middle East into an escalating nuclear arms race. Now this nuclear energy agreement is also deepening worries here in Israel, which is a major American ally that Trump and therefore the US are increasingly divergent from Israel. Ehud Barak, a former Prime Minister of Israel, told the army-run radio station this. He says, it's a sign of the loss of trust between Netanyahu and Trump, the implication being that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has somehow messed up Israel's relationship with Trump.

**A Martinez** (3:51)
OK, now one more thing, Emily, considering that you're nearby. Iran, what's happening there?

**Emily Feng** (3:56)
US Central Command said it began strikes on Iranian military and logistics sites for what has been almost two weeks running now.
Iran says it targeted three US bases in Kuwait, plus American military infrastructure in Jordan and Qatar. And President Trump is now saying he's aware of reports that Iran moved uranium enrichment centrifuges deep under a mountain, which he is warning the US might hit soon.

**A Martinez** (4:20)
All right, the 10PR's Emily Feng. Emily, thank you very much.

**Emily Feng** (4:23)
Thank you, A.

**A Martinez** (4:25)
President Trump is once again ramping up aggression toward Iran, threatening to bomb Iranian bridges and power plants, including ones near the capital city, Tehran. And he's rejecting the idea of making another deal with Iran.