JOIN USThe Trump administration granted two authorizations to US companies to share sensitive nuclear power information with Saudi Arabia shortly after the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October, a US senator who saw the approvals said on Tuesday.
The timing of the approvals is likely to heap pressure on the administration of US President Donald Trump from lawmakers who have become increasingly critical of US support for Saudi Arabia since Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October.
Senator Tim Kaine, a Democrat from Virginia where Khashoggi lived, called the timing of the approvals "shocking." The Department of Energy granted the first part 810 authorization on Oct 18, 16 days after Khashoggi, who was a US resident, died. The second occurred on Feb 18.
The authorizations were among seven granted to US companies by Trump’s administration since 2017, as Washington and Riyadh negotiate a potential wider agreement to help Saudi Arabia develop its first two nuclear power reactors.
Kaine, who had urged the administration to release the authorizations, said that the approvals were "one of the many steps the administration is taking that is fueling a dangerous escalation of tension in the region."
US authorities have concluded that responsibility for Khashoggi's death went to the highest levels of the Saudi government. Riyadh denies the crown prince was involved.