John Kennedy Rejects Trump’s Saudi Nuclear Deal as Israel Ties Condition Threatens Senate Path
Updated
Updated · The Independent · Jul 26
John Kennedy Rejects Trump’s Saudi Nuclear Deal as Israel Ties Condition Threatens Senate Path
3 articles · Updated · The Independent · Jul 26
Summary
John Kennedy said flatly “Nope” to the Saudi nuclear agreement on CBS, marking a sharper public break with Trump over a deal the administration signed only hours earlier.
The Louisiana Republican said giving Riyadh civilian nuclear technology while the US is trying to shut down Iran’s program risks fueling proliferation and sends a contradictory signal during a regional war.
Kennedy also argued Trump’s condition that Saudi Arabia normalize ties with Israel makes the pact even less viable, since Riyadh still ties recognition to a sovereign Palestinian state that Israel opposes.
That combination leaves the deal’s route through Congress looking weak, while exposing wider Republican strains over Trump’s Middle East policy as the Iran war nears its fifth month and gas-price pressure builds before the midterms.