Senators seek pause in U.S.-Saudi nuke talks

Five GOP senators urge president to delay atomic energy accord

WASHINGTON — A group of Republican senators urged President Donald Trump on Wednesday to suspend negotiations with Saudi Arabia on a potentially lucrative atomic energy agreement following the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Lawmakers led by Marco Rubio of Florida said in a letter to the president that they had reservations about the transfer of nuclear power technology even before the Oct. 2 slaying of Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. They warned they would work to block an agreement from securing congressional approval if the administration pushes ahead.

They noted their concern over Saudi Arabia’s refusal to consider a nuclear energy agreement that would prohibit the kingdom from pursuing uranium enrichment and plutonium processing “that can bring a nation within weeks of producing a nuclear weapon.” The United Arab Emirates accepted the standard in a 2009 civil nuclear pact with the U.S.

The letter also was critical of the leadership of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, although the senators don’t mention him by name. Saudi Arabia has changed its narrative about Khashoggi’s killing several times, eventually admitting after repeated denials that Khashoggi died inside the consulate and only recently acknowledging that Turkish evidence shows his killing was premeditated.

“The ongoing revelations about the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, as well as certain Saudi actions related to Yemen and Lebanon, have raised further serious concerns about the transparency, accountability, and judgment of current decisionmakers in Saudi Arabia,” according to the letter.

In addition to Rubio, the letter was signed by Sens. Cory Gardner of Colorado, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Todd Young of Indiana and Dean Heller of Nevada.

A National Security Council spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.