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The late Sen. Lindsey Graham had one dying wish — the thing he fought for behind the scenes: a nuclear deal between the United States and Saudi Arabia, but only if the kingdom signed a peace agreement with Israel and joined the Abraham Accords.
Friends of the senator say he would never have supported the current deal that offers quid but no pro quo from the Saudis.
The senator's passing opens the door for the deal to slip through Congress and may be a key reason it was announced.
On Wednesday, the U.S. said it had approved an agreement with Saudi Arabia that would allow the kingdom to construct a nuclear power plant — a move that would give Saudi Arabia the ability to enrich uranium under limited safeguards.
Washington's decision has sparked alarm among some Middle East experts and outright condemnation from others.
“The U.S.-Saudi deal for a 'civilian' nuclear program — which potentially, after a two-year study, includes permitting Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium — is a serious mistake," said Morton Klein, president of the influential Zionist Organization of America.
Klein noted the deal will "lead to widespread nuclear proliferation" and opens the door for "an unstable Middle East nation potentially obtaining nuclear weapons."
Other conservative critics are opposing the deal.
"25 years ago this 9/11 Saudi Arabia was behind the murder of thousands of Americans," famed syndicated radio host Mark Levin said in a post on X.
Levin added bluntly: "No nuke deals with Saudi Arabia.”
The pact, known as a 123 Agreement, was signed Wednesday by U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, who inked a preliminary accord in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, last year.
NBC News reported that although Congress will be required to vote on the agreement, lawmakers would need a veto-proof majority to block it.
But congressional sources note the Saudis do not have strong support among Democrats or Republicans and may face a formidable bipartisan coalition opposing the deal.
According to the agreement, before any uranium enrichment could begin on Saudi soil, a joint U.S.-Saudi team would first study whether enrichment is warranted and commercially viable.
Only then would Americans build the facility without transferring the sensitive technology to the kingdom.
Israeli political leaders and experts also have raised concerns about the process.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett sharply criticized the proposed deal.
"The nuclear deal taking shape with Saudi Arabia over Israel's head is a grave strategic failure that endangers our security," he said.
"Allowing uranium enrichment on Saudi soil could trigger a regional nuclear arms race and lead to a highly dangerous loss of control," Bennett added.
Saudi Arabia has consistently resisted U.S. efforts for it to join the Abraham Accords, like its neighbors United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
"We have to keep a very careful eye on Saudi Arabia," Alan Dershowitz told Newsmax.
"It is a friend today but was an enemy in the past. We should be concerned about its status in the future."
Apparently absent from Wednesday's announced agreement is the International Atomic Energy Agency's typical protocol, which would require monitoring, inspections, and verification.
Both The Times of Israel and The New York Times reported that former President Joe Biden conditioned nuclear cooperation on the Saudis normalizing ties with Israel.
Former Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman told The Times of Israel, "Everyone needs to understand that the Saudi civilian nuclear program will end up with nuclear weapons and lead to a mad arms race across the entire Middle East."
Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., also questioned the deal, which does not appear to have safeguards in place.
"We can't hand Saudi Arabia the keys to nuclear tech while ignoring its desire for nuclear weapons," he said.
Opposition is also mounting on Capitol Hill.
"Israeli sources warn the provision could spur regional proliferation if Washington ultimately allows Riyadh to enrich uranium on its own soil," Israeli newspaper Haaretz wrote.
Graham, shortly before his death, said that he planned to oppose any regional deal with Iran if it did not include the Saudis normalizing relations with Israel.
Graham wrote he would "never support" such a deal.
According to Axios, the South Carolina Republican spent his final weeks laying the groundwork for a renewed push to broker a historic Saudi-Israeli normalization deal.
Graham had been harshly critical of the Saudis for not fully supporting U.S. efforts in the recent conflict with Iran.
On March 9, Graham said in a post on X that the U.S. should reconsider its security agreements with Riyadh.
"Americans are dying and the U.S. is spending billions to dislodge the terrorist Iranian regime that threatens the region," Graham wrote.
"Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia seems to be issuing statements and doing things in the background that are marginally helpful, but unwilling to participate in military operations to end the reign of terror coming out of Iran," he said.
The Associated Press reported that the nuclear pact is expected to last 30 years and involve U.S. companies in the development program.
The U.S.-Saudi nuclear deal is a 30-year agreement worth tens of billions of dollars to U.S. companies.
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