US Senators Warn of Undeclared Saudi-China Nuclear Deal

US Senators have warned President Donald Trump that Saudi Arabia's undeclared nuclear and missile programs pose a serious threat to efforts exerted by the Unites States of America (USA) to stop the spread of nuclear weapons in the region.

Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland), along with two other Democrats and three Republicans in the Senate, wrote in a letter to President Trump to warn him the Saudi Arabia Kingdom (SAK) is preparing to develop the front end of the nuclear fuel cycle.

These technologies, if not verified or controlled, will be granted Riyadh a potential to produce fissile material for nuclear weapons.

The letter also referred to reports claimed that Saudi Arabia, with Chinese assistance, has made great advance in developing the infrastructure for the production of advanced ballistic missiles.

US lawmakers are seeking to restrict Washington's support for the Saudi nuclear program until the administration agrees to a more intrusive IAEA inspection regime known as the "Additional Protocol" and pledges to forgo uranium enrichment or reprocessing spent fuel.

Senator Van Hollen said in a recent interview that the Saudis are hiding important parts of their nuclear program, which calls into question their intentions," adding that "China is exploiting the situation.

There was no immediate comment from the White House on this missive.

The letter comes on the heels of a report by the Wall Street Journal, citing informed sources, earlier this month that the Saudis, with Chinese help, had built a facility to extract yellow cake from uranium ore.

However, the Saudi Ministry of Energy categorically denied that it was building a uranium ore facility in northwestern Saudi Arabia, as described by some Western officials.

The ministry said extraction of minerals, including uranium, is a key part of the country's economic persification strategy.

According to the newspaper, the manufacture of uranium yellowcake, which is a milled form of uranium ore, is a relatively early step in the nuclear cycle.

But multiple and additional steps and techniques are required to process and enrich uranium adequately to operate a civilian nuclear power plant. And at extremely high levels of enrichment, uranium can be fuel for a nuclear weapon.

Members of the US House of Representatives also sent a separate letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday, as three Democrats in the House of Representatives led by Representative, Joaquin Castro, from Texas, expressed their concern about the reported Chinese provision of nuclear and missile technology to Saudi Arabia.

The representatives stated that the construction of the yellowcake facility raises more questions about whether the Riyadh nuclear program is intended for peaceful purposes only.

On its part, China responded to the report on the yellowcake facility.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said earlier this month that Beijing will continue to strictly fulfill its international obligations in the field of nuclear non-proliferation and will continue to cooperate in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy with other countries on a basis.

On the other hand, the US Department of Defense announced that the Federal Administration has agreed to purchase drones from five US companies from September, to provide a safe option after banning Chinese-made drones.

The department said in a statement that the five companies whose drones will be available are "Ultivian", "Parrot", "Skydio", "Teal" and "Vantage.

It added that the Pentagon's purchase of these aircraft comes in compliance with a law that bans the US military from purchasing Chinese-made unmanned aerial devices.

"We need an alternative to Chinese-made small drones," said Mike Brown, director of the department's defense innovation unit.

He pointed out that the approval of the five companies' products "enhances the long-term viability of this capability for the United States and our allies.

Trump's administration has raised concerns about the possibility of China penetrating the systems of those drones used by the Pentagon, for the purpose of espionage.